fighting blind
by angelusjmw
Summary: just posted to make it easy to transfer to epub to read myself with all chapters also I did not write this story Only put all chapters into one page to do what I stated in start of this summary


Fighting Blind

Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I write this purely for

entertainment.

I was inspired to write this story after reading a few others that dealt

with the Cat Fist Training going horribly wrong. One of the most

drastic changes that I had seen was Ranma being thrown to the lions.

Although I am not writing about that, this outcome of the Neko Ken

is just as serious. And so, here we have a Ranma that must deal with

a handicap that may alter his view on the world forever.

: Thoughts

" ": Chinese language

Chapter One

When the World Went Dark

In a small village in China, a young woman was busy preparing a

stew in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door. When she

came to answer it, she was not prepared for the tragic news that the

messenger had brought to her attention.

"What did you say?" The women asked, he body trembling with

disbelief.

"I regret to inform you that your son is dead." The messenger

replied, bowing her head in sorrow.

"You must be joking!"

"I'm afraid that this is no joke, Jasmine. Thorn is dead."

"It can't be!" Jasmine cried out as she gripped the messenger's

shoulders. "What happened?! Tell me!" Jasmine began to become

hysterical as she shook the bearer of bad news.

The young warrior sighed and sadly shook her head as she began

to relate the incident of Thorn's demise. He had been practicing near

the edge of the village when he came to the defense of his seven-year

old cousin Shampoo. Mousse was once again pestering the girl and

he and Thorn had gotten into a fight. During the scuffle, the two

ended up beneath the Challenge Log. Mousse had thrown some

daggers, which had cut through some of the support ropes. Thorn

had died instantly as one end of the massive timber crushed him.

When he was questioned, Mousse had claimed that his glasses

had been knocked off and that had messed up his aim. He said that

he only intended to throw those knives as a warning and that he had

not intended to kill Shampoo's cousin. Of course, no one really

believed him, but without any evidence other than the words of a

young Shampoo, the Council had to rule the incident as a tragic

accident. Also, one of the elders that happened to be on the council

was Mousse's grandmother, Mascara. Many suspected that she had

been involved in swaying the final verdict.

Jasmine shook with rage and anguish as she thought about the

near-sighted boy. She knew of his obsession with her niece and was

very irritated that he did not take the hint and leave her alone. Now

that same obsession had cost her only child his life. A growing

darkness raged in her heart, mixed in with a sorrow that threatened to

overwhelm her. She then screamed out in purest agony. Tears welled

up in her eyes as she fell to her knees and began wailing over the

loss of child.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The following year would be the hardest on Jasmine, as she

became distant and less involved with the events that occurred

outside her house. She still carried out her duties with the same

amazing skill that outstripped her fellow healers. However, the

emptiness in her heart had grown since Thorn's death. She had also

grown more hostile toward Mousse and his family as she blamed the

novice Hidden Weapons fighter for the death of her child. Since her

husband had died during a raid by the Musk Dynasty, Jasmine had

been protectively raising her only offspring. Thorn was only five

when he lost his father. With her son gone, Jasmine had become cold

and showed little emotion. She would heal wounds and cure disease

with amazing speed and efficiency, but she no longer found any

comfort or happiness in her work. Where was the joy of being able to

heal the wounds of others when her skills could not restore her son

to her? Many of the villagers noted that she would perform with the

cold, unfeeling, attitude of a machine. She would give her patients

what they needed to recover and send them on their way without the

tender words of care and sympathy one needed for comfort. It was if

all the life had drained out of her.

And every night, the young healer would weep in sorrow,

frustration and anger at the fact that her house now had only one

occupant. Whenever she looked at the bed that her son had slept in,

she would burst out in tears. She would then pray to the Kami,

wishing that there would be someone who could fill that bed and the

empty void in her heart.

A year before Thorn's death

"So what's the verdict?" The nurse asked.

"Not good." Dr. Hamada Tenshiro replied. "The boy will live, but

I'm afraid that the damage done to his eyes is irreversible. I don't

know what happened, but his eyes were nearly torn out of their

sockets. It looks as if some wild animal mauled him. He had excessive

tissue trauma to his optic nerves, not to mention massive damage to

his face. Because the boy has a rare blood type, eye transplant was

not possible option. We were able to do some cosmetic surgery to

remove the scars and restore his face and eyes, but I'm sorry to say

that he has been permanently rendered blind."

"Kami-sama! Who would do such a thing to a six-year old boy?"

"I can answer that." A police officer replied as he approached the

two. He held up a several sheets. "The boy's name is Ranma. His

father is Genma Saotome. Apparently, this Genma was the person

responsible for several cases of petty theft in the area. We've also

gotten reports of the boy being involved in some of those crimes.

Thankfully, those charges against Ranma had been dropped, since it

was assumed that his father was the one who made his son commit

those thefts. Witnesses called the police when they saw him shove

his son into that pit. When we arrived, he abandoned his son and

escaped arrest. Upon further investigation, we discovered a small

campsite underneath a bridge. We found this among some of their

things."

The police officer handed the doctor a small handbook. When the

physician opened it, his eyes widened in shock. "It can't be! No one

would be that stupid!"

"What is it doctor?" The nurse asked.

"It's a training manual for the dreaded Neko Ken or Cat Fist! I

studied the martial arts for a while and my master told me about the

forbidden technique! I had my suspicions when the paramedics

brought him in, but I never thought anyone would be foolhardy

enough to try it!"

"What is it?"

"The training is very simple. Wrap the student in fish sausage and

throw him into a pit of starving cats! There are several problems

though. The trainee, IF HE SURVIVES, is reduced to a feral state and

develops an irrational fear of cats! Granted they may gain an

increased level of speed and agility, but their minds become

psychologically unstable! In most cases, the ability is submerged

until the trigger is activated. That usually happens when the victim's

fear of cats reaches a certain point! They start acting like cats and

become a danger to anyone that he or she perceives as a threat! In

extreme cases however, the person may become permanently

regressed into their feral state! It was because of this, and the fact

that the trainee has to be under the age of ten, that the method was

banned! The last reported case of Neko Ken training happened over

fifty years ago."

"Are you saying that Genma Saotome willingly subjected his son

to this kind of torture?" The nurse asked.

"That's what it looks like." The police officer replied. "At the

campsite, we found several other training manuals, pressure point

charts and several brochures that tell about martial arts training

grounds. One brochure was circled in red. Some place called

Jusenkyo. It looks like the father was training his son to be a martial

artist."

"Then he's the dumbest teacher in the world!" Hamada remarked

as he showed a page of the manual. "Look, it says right here that the

Cat Fist has been banned for causing severe psychological distress!

You'd think a responsible martial artist would look over the entire

manual before trying it!"

"Well, whoever this Genma is, he's a slippery one. We haven't

been able to track him down yet." The officer sighed. It was then that

they heard a loud commotion from a far room down the hall. There

was a loud crash and a nurse came screaming into the hallway.

"Help! Someone help!"

The officer wasted no time in drawing his gun and started running

toward the room where the nurse had just came from. When he

reached the hysterical nurse, he tried to calm her down. "What's the

matter? What's wrong?"

The nurse pointed at the room and said, "Some strange man came

crashing through the window and grabbed the patient out of the bed!

He jumped back out the window with the boy and disappeared!"

The officer looked into the room and saw the open window. The

wind was blowing through the broken glass and the curtains waved

in the breeze.

Two years later, in China

Genma was unhappy. He looked at his sightless son and sighed in

disgust. There was no doubt about it. The boy was a failure. His lack

of eyesight had made him unable to continue the training in the

Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. He tried another combination

of punches and kicks, which Ranma could not counter or even block

effectively. The lad went down and moaned in pain.

"Ow! That hurt! It's not fair!" Tears began to form in his unseeing

eyes.

"Ranma! Quit your whining! A true martial artist must suffer for his

Art! And I told you never to cry!" Genma gave him a savage kick to

the midsection.

"Ow! How can I fight back when I can't even see?"

"It was your own fault that those cats made you blind! If you were

a better martial artist, you should have been able to learn the Cat Fist

without any problems! After all I've done for you, you should be glad

that I'm still trying to make a man out of you!" He gave him a rap on

the head. "I went through the trouble of taking you to that Legendary

Healing Spring near that Amazon Village, didn't I?"

"That wasn't a healing spring! I still can't see! Besides, those

Amazons were really mad when you dunked me in there, yesterday!"

"AND WE STILL ARE!"

Genma and Ranma froze when they heard the strange voice. The

fat martial artist was a bit shocked that someone had managed to

sneak up on them as he turned around. He saw a fairly tall, Chinese

woman who was wearing a red silk pantsuit outfit and brown sandals.

Her hair was brown and was done up in two buns. Her face was

gentle looking and her figure was willowy. Her eyes were green, but

they had a glint to them that told anyone not to underestimate her.

She had in one hand a staff, which was five feet long. She glared at

Genma with a hard look.

"W-Who the hell are you?"

"I am Jasmine! Healer of the Nieuchiezu! I did not expect to come

across the same man who tried to drown his son in the village water

supply yesterday! Now just what do you think you are doing?"

"None of your business! Now get lost before I have to teach you

some manners!" Genma took a fighting stance.

"When I see a cold-hearted man abusing a blind and defenseless

child after trying to repeatedly drown him in a spring, then I'm making

it my business!" Jasmine took a stance as well, holding her staff out.

Ranma strained with his ears as a foreboding silence came up after

Jasmine had declared her intentions. Suddenly, there was a sudden

movement as the two sprang at each other. Then there was another

long silence.

"Pop?"

A warm hand touched his shoulder then he heard a feminine voice

whisper something in his ear.

"Rest now young one."

Ranma felt something applying some pressure to the back of his

neck and he faded away into blissful sleep.

Jasmine looked at the boy and felt the faint stirrings of her

maternal instinct within her. The boy reminded her of her lost son.

He looks to be about the same age that Thorn would have been

if Jasmine's thoughts trailed off as memories of her dead son came

back to her. Biting back her tears, she looked back at the human

refuse that had been beating on the helpless boy. She was sorely

tempted to put the man out of the boy's misery for good. Although

she was not a warrior by trade, her knowledge of pressure points and

rare herbs made her quite lethal. She was very capable of killing

excellent fighters. However, her training as a healer had shaped her

personality and it really wasn't in her nature to end a life, especially

when he was helpless at the moment. She would only kill if there were

no other option.

There was also the matter of the boy to consider. After what she

had seen, she was certainly not going to stand by and let that man

continue to abuse the child. She looked down at Ranma again and

smiled as she sensed the raw potential within him. His ki reminded her

so much of her lost son. He was innocent and had a certain

something that Jasmine could not put a finger to. She just had to

save him from Genma's influence. After a long moment of deep

contemplation, she made a decision and leapt high into the trees with

Ranma cradled in her arms. She then made her way toward the village.

Four hours later, Genma awoke to find himself flat on his belly. He

got up and saw that the strange woman and his son were long gone.

He became furious as he realized that the woman had defeated him so

easily. He scratched his head as he thought back to the short-lived

battle.

Genma had tried to do a quick knockdown with his kick aimed at

her head, but Jasmine simply used her staff to block the kick, then

used her free hand to jab a nerve under his extended leg, causing it to

lock up. While he was still flying through the air, the Amazon then

used her staff as a lever and slammed him down to the ground on his

face. A few more pressure points applied to his back and neck and

Genma was out cold. The woman had moved with unbelievable speed

and grace and the entire event had only taken two seconds!

Genma grumbled, as he started walking toward the place where he

knew Ranma would have been taken to, the Amazon village.

In the house of the elder known as Cologne, the three hundred-

year old matriarch watched the sleeping boy on the bed before her.

She then turned to Jasmine, who was standing beside her.

"So this is the boy who almost drowned yesterday?" The

diminutive elder asked.

Jasmine nodded. "I was able to save him from that horrible man

before he was beaten to death!"

Cologne looked at the healer with a suspicious eye. She

recognized the look that the healer was giving the child. "I know

what you are thinking Jasmine! He will not replace your lost child!"

"And why shouldn't I? The boy would have perished under the

so-called care of his father! I can sense that this boy is strong and

has much potential!"

Cologne looked at Ranma again and slowly nodded. "On those

two points, I must agree. This one does indeed show promise, but he

is an outsider!"

"So what? You yourself have told me that children are a precious

resource! Male or female, they are the hope of our tribe! What does it

matter if this child was not born here? I will adopt him and raise him

as if I had given birth to him myself!"

"He may not accept you as his mother. Furthermore, his

blindness would also be something for him to overcome, if he were to

live here!"

"Mousse was able to survive and he's almost totally sightless,

even with those glasses of his!" Jasmine's brow furrowed a bit as

she still held him responsible for her son's death.

"Yes, I suppose Mousse has gotten better, ever since he started

studying the Hidden Weapons techniques. Do you intend to have

this boy go through the same training?"

Jasmine took on a thoughtful look as she pondered on Cologne's

question. Then she smiled as she replied. "No. I will not have him

learn the Hidden Weapons style, at least not yet. For some reason,

when I look at this boy, I see him capable of achieving far more than

just hiding large weapons on himself and using trickery."

"Then what do you intend to do with him if " Cologne then

grinned as she realized what Jasmine was thinking of. There was only

one other option for someone like Ranma. "Aaaahhh! I see. You

intend to have Koga train him!"

Jasmine smiled triumphantly. "Who better to train a blind student

than the grandmaster of the Unseen Light Martial Arts? Koga will be

perfect for him!"

"Yes, I must admit that his techniques far exceed some of my own

and he is quite formidable." Cologne was a little reluctant to admit

this.

"I cannot understand why Mousse has steadfastly refused to

learn under Koga."

"As you know, Mousse is obsessed with my great-

granddaughter Shampoo. He thinks that his near-sightedness is seen

as a weakness to her, thereby driving her away from him. To train

under a blind martial artist whose fighting style seems too passive is

like admitting that he is weak. He feels that his Hidden Weapon style

is aggressive enough to show his strength. Many of the other

Amazons think the same way, but I happen to know better. I have

battled with Koga before one time, and he actually fought me to a

standstill."

"Really?!" Jasmine knew that the matriarches were considered

the best fighters in the village, despite their extreme age. The idea

that someone male and far younger was able to fight an elder to a

draw was almost beyond belief.

"Yes, and I would keep that information to yourself if I were

you."

Jasmine nodded as she gazed at Ranma with a look of hope and

tenderness. In her mind, she silently thanked the Kami for answering

her prayers. She would not let this one go!

The first few weeks were the hardest for Ranma as he adjusted to

living in the Amazon village. For the first time in his life, he was

without Genma and his influence and it scared him. Although it had

been a hard life, it was the only life he knew. Genma had been a hard

taskmaster and his training methods were extremely harsh. These

processes included lying, cheating and stealing. They had lived

mostly outdoors, constantly on the move to avoid entanglements

with the law. Food was always scarce and Ranma had been forced to

eat nothing but rice, since his father maintained that it would make

his digestive system more efficient. Of course, that didn't stop the

father of the blind boy from pigging out on whatever other foods he

or Ranma had gotten a hold of.

Jasmine was shocked to see just how malnourished the child was

and made it a priority that Ranma received a proper diet and the right

nutrients. Her training as a healer also corrected some of the health

problems that Ranma had after being with Genma for three years.

Camping outside in bad weather had made Ranma sensitive to

humidity and illness. Some secret herbal potions, pressure points and

a few immunization shots from a visiting doctor took care of those

problems. Even though the Amazons lived in an isolated

environment, they were not ignorant of the outside world and its

advantages. Every few months or so, a medical group would be

allowed into the village to give shots to the children and help the

healers treat the others. Some medical supplies would be purchased

and the two sides would also exchange techniques and information.

This link to the rest of the world also allowed the warrior women to

learn about world events and get a hold of things like books, some

bits of new technology and other miscellaneous items. The children

were especially interested in whatever manga they could get their

hands on.

Within a few days after he had been officially adopted into the

tribe, Ranma finally accepted that this place was his new home and

that his father was not going to take care of him any longer. Jasmine

was especially supportive at this stage and encouraged him to shed

tears, even though he repeatedly said that 'guys don't cry!' She gave

him his space when he needed it and her shoulder to lean on when he

gave in to the 'unmanly' act of shedding tears. She showed her gentle

and nurturing side as she gradually helped the blind boy adjust into

this fierce and totally different culture.

Fortunately for Ranma, Jasmine and many of the other villagers

were quite fluent in Japanese and he had no problems understanding

them. However, as an outsider male and a blind one to boot, he was

inevitably made the butt of many jokes as several of the older boys

and many of the girls teased him. Ranma's blindness made him look

weak and the bullies continued to make life harsh for him. It was

going to be an uphill battle for the unseeing boy.

During this time, Genma had made several attempts to retrieve his

son, but each time he tried to sneak into the village, the Amazons

would promptly eject him in a painful manner.

One of those times

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Genma said as he was tied up and

loaded into a catapult.

"Getting rid of some garbage!" An Amazon replied as she pulled a

lever.

Genma went flying though the air screaming frantically as he sailed

up to a height of two hundred feet. He then came crashing down in a

small, secluded valley that had numerous pools scattered about its

landscape. The fat martial artist made a huge belly flop into one of the

pools.

"Oh so sorry sir!" The Guide said as he watched Genma's cursed

form rise from the water. "You fall into Shon Mon niichuan! Spring of

Drowned Panda! Very tragic story of panda that drown there 2000

year ago! Now whoever fall in spring, take body of panda!"

"Growf."

A month later, Ranma was introduced to the blind martial artist

Koga and began his training in the Unseen Light Martial Arts.

One fine day, the boy was trying his best to balance on a series of

poles of differing lengths while trying to use his staff to knock at a

swinging target suspended above him. He was doing a half-

reasonable job of it until he misjudged the height of one of the poles

and went down.

"Yow!"

A man of fifty or so years shook his head and sighed as he sat on

a rock. His long, black hair had a few streaks of gray in it and was tied

in a simple ponytail that reached toward his midback. He was wearing

a white shirt with long flaring sleeves and a pair of black pants. His

feet had black sandals and he twirled a cane in his right hand.

"Ranma, you are not concentrating!" Koga chided as he watched

his pupil get up off the ground.

"It's not fair!" Ranma complained as he rubbed his backside. "You

moved those poles! They're not the same as yesterday!"

"Exactly! This is not an exercise in memorization! The world does

not always stay the same! It is constantly changing and you must be

able to use your senses to detect those changes!"

"How can I use my hearing or sense of smell to know which pole is

longer and which is shorter?"

"This training session is to help you develop your sixth and

seventh sense!"

"Sixth and seventh sense?"

"That's right Ranma. Most people believe that a person has only

five senses; sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell. However, a martial

artist can develop a sixth sense. This is the ability to detect danger as

it approaches a person, thereby allowing him or her to avoid it. In

some instances, one can use the sixth sense to predict the future or

detect that, which cannot be sensed by sight alone. Many experts

have been able to use their sixth sense to detect the ki energies of

others. Now you know that Cologne has done this on many

occasions, right?"

Ranma nodded. "So what's this seventh sense?"

"Ah, that seventh sense is the basis of the Unseen Light Martial

Arts! We take the ability to sense ki one step further. The best way

to describe it is that it acts like a form of natural radar. I myself have

this 'radar-sense' and I can actually 'see' behind, above and beside

me all at the same time! I have a good image in my head of my

surroundings. It's like I'm touching everything at once and an image

is formed in my mind as to what's around me. Granted I can't

determine colors and visual patterns, but I can judge distances and

size with better accuracy than a sighted person could. What's more,

the seventh sense works very well with my other senses and I can

detect things that cannot possibly be seen with the eyes."

"Really?"

"That's right Ranma, and I sense that you too, can learn this skill.

You just need to be patient. I have already helped in sharpening your

other four senses. Now let's try to get at the remaining two, okay?"

Some other time

"Concentrate Ranma. Let your ki be like your hands. FEEL your

surroundings."

Ranma nodded at Koga's words as his brow furrowed in

concentration. He was sitting in a lotus position and was trying to

draw out his ki to sense his surroundings. He strained to detect the

shapes and forms around him. In his mind, he could visualize shapes

that were long and narrow. They seemed to be standing straight up

from the ground, and Ranma began to recognize their forms from

memory. He could almost feel the trees around him. Then he frowned

as the feeling died out as the shapes lost their form and became

unidentifiable blobs. He was once again trapped in that darkness that

had claimed him two years ago.

"I can't do it!" Ranma pounded a fist on the ground in

frustration.

"Ranma you are concentrating too hard." Koga said firmly. "Let

your ki flow over your environment like a gentle wave over a beach.

Don't force your ki. Clear your mind and let your ki do the work for

you."

Ranma nodded as he took a deep breath and began refocusing his

ki. As his inner energies reached out to touch the surfaces of the

trees and ground, Ranma smiled as clear, line images began appearing

in his head. Ranma could only detect his surroundings as long as he

was directing his ki and that was only for a few seconds. Unable to

maintain it, he soon lost control and the images faded away. Still, it

was a start.

"Excellent my pupil." Koga remarked as he had detected Ranma's

brief and crude use of his seventh sense. "You have just taken your

first step to attaining sight beyond sight."

Ranma trained hard under Koga and as his skills improved, so did

his personality. Before the Neko Ken, Ranma had been egotistical

and full of pride. The loss of his eyesight and his dependency of

others had erased much of those traits. He had learned to cooperate

and respect others. He learned to accept his lot in life and began

striving to make his life as full as he could.

Before, he had concentrated on nothing but the Art. As a result,

he had very poor social skills. Manners were almost nonexistent, as

was being tactful. He didn't know how to react when dealing with the

opposite sex and this lead to very painful reprisals from the Amazons

whenever he said something that was inappropriate or downright

rude. This was especially hazardous when he had said that women

were considered weak.

Despite his shortcomings, Ranma's innate charm began to win

over the warrior tribe, who at first treated him with hostility, as he was

still considered an outsider. His determination to be accepted,

coupled with his drive to master the techniques under Koga slowly

began to win the admiration of many members of the Nieuchiezu. This

was especially apparent with some of the females as Ranma grew

older and more pleasant looking. One girl in particular was his

adopted cousin Shampoo. Of course, this did not set very well with

her unwanted, yet very persistent suitor Mousse.

Shampoo was being groomed by her great-grandmother Cologne

to be a future matriarch. She was considered the strongest fighter of

her generation and trained hard to achieve her goals. However,

because of her greater skill in the martial arts, she had alienated

herself from the other girls, who were jealous of her fighting ability.

No one wanted to be her friend. The males of the village were another

story. They were either too afraid to face her or they considered her

as a prize to be won. Mousse of course, advocated this ideal to

ridiculous lengths and was considered to be an insufferable nuisance

by the great-granddaughter of the Elder. He would constantly try to

win Shampoo with pathetic overtures and would drive any other boy

who thought to get close to her. With Mousse driving away all

potential suitors and the other girls unwilling to speak with her, the

purple-haired girl retreated into a world of her own with only her

training to comfort her. Before Ranma had arrived, Shampoo had led a

very lonely life.

Ranma was introduced to Shampoo as her cousin, since Jasmine

was Shampoo's aunt. It was very shaky in the beginning to be sure,

but as time went on, Shampoo was glad of Ranma's presence in the

village. Here was a boy who was not after her for her looks or her

position as the great-granddaughter of Cologne. He was as lonely as

she was and needed a friend. He was funny, easy to get along with,

and didn't hide his feelings. As the years went by, the two became

very good friends and perhaps, something more began to develop as

they grew older. As Ranma made new friends among the Amazons,

Shampoo also followed suit and opened up even more. Within two

years since Ranma's arrival, Shampoo had made some friends among

the other girls and was smiling more often. Of course, Cologne had

been against any kind of relationship between the two that went

beyond close friendship. It wouldn't do for a future matriarch to

become too, 'ahem,' attached to a weak fighter. However, being good

friends and cousins was fine with her.

Ranma's close relationship with Shampoo was not to Mousse's

liking and this had caused him to attack his blind rival on several

occasions. Shampoo would always come to the defense of her

'cousin' and Mousse would be sent painfully away.

Ranma at age nine

"Get away from her!" Ranma yelled as he charged at his

opponent. His senses had become sharp enough to actually tell

where Mousse was. However, Ranma still lacked the speed and skill

needed to use that information effectively.

Mousse easily dodged his punch and smirked as he took out a

small hammer and bopped him on the head. Ranma went down and

Mousse then gave him a kick to his side. "Go away you little pest.

You're no match for me!"

"He may not be, but I am!" Shampoo said as she came to

Ranma's aid.

"Shampoo!" Mousse cried out as he raced to embrace her. He

thought to overwhelm the object of his affection with his love.

Unfortunately for him, Shampoo's response to him was anything but

tender.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Mousse became a crumpled heap on the ground. Shampoo's

training in the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Technique had

only just started last week. She was nowhere near as fast as her

great-grandmother, but she still had enough speed to turn Mousse

into a bruised and bloody mess.

Mousse moaned, partly in pain but also in denial. She's just

playing hard to get. That's all.

The purple-haired girl knelt down to help her cousin up.

As time passed on, Ranma helped Shampoo live a fuller life. He

would make her laugh, help improve her Japanese and give her a

shoulder to cry on whenever something would upset her. Ranma was

a good support for her.

Under Koga's training, Ranma became stronger and more capable

of handling himself. Within the first week of training, Ranma's sense

of smell, taste, touch and hearing had become incredibly sharp. A

month later, he no longer required to be led around the village and

could even find his way back whenever he took walks into the forests

that surrounded them. The elders of the village could feel his ki level

increase at an impressive rate as he eagerly learned all that he could.

They became especially interested when Koga's old mentor had

shown up at the village to gauge the progress of the boy and aid in

his training.

A few months before Ranma's tenth birthday

"Ranma, I would like you to meet my sensei, Shogo Natsumuri."

"Pleased to meet with you, Master Shogo." Ranma gave a

respectful bow as he reached out with his senses at the aged priest.

Shogo smiled at the little boy as he used his own senses to gauge

Ranma's abilities. "I am very impressed Koga. You have chosen

well."

"Yes, sensei. " Koga nodded. "Ranma has now grasped the basic

concept and principles of the seventh sense. However, he does tend

to become distracted at the different images in his mind and his

seventh sense does require a lot of fine-tuning. He can roughly

approximate shape and size, but not much on detail."

"Well, that's what I'm here for." Shogo remarked as he gestured

for the boy and his student to follow.

Some weeks later

"So who are we meeting?" Ranma asked as he and Koga waiting in

a small clearing in the forest near the village.

"An old acquaintance of mine." Koga replied. "I met him during

my journeys around the world. Once I had mastered the Unseen Light

techniques, I had decided to do some traveling to improve my martial

arts and ki-manipulation skills."

"You've been traveling around the world?" Ranma asked with

awe. The boy had never traveled anywhere further than Japan, then

later the areas surrounding the Amazon village.

Koga nodded as he said, "Yes, I had a kind of wanderlust when I

was no more than a decade older than you are now. I wanted to see

the world through my senses, since I could not see it with my eyes.

I've been to places such as Russia, Tibet, England, Australia, and

even America. I learned a lot about the outside world during those

times."

"Wow." Ranma was impressed at how well traveled his mentor

was. At first he thought that Koga was pulling his leg, but after

scanning his aura, Ranma knew he was telling the truth. At this time,

Ranma's ability to read the auras of others wasn't anywhere near as

good as Koga's, but Ranma could detect the faint impressions of

emotions. Strong emotions such as love and anger were the simplest

to detect. It was easy to detect the former from Jasmine and the latter

from Mousse.

"So who is this person we're waiting for?" Ranma asked.

"He's an excellent master of ki manipulation and you would do

well to listen to him. I wrote to him about you and I later found out

that he was in China at the time on some personal business. I invited

him to come to the village and meet with you. He should be here any

time now."

"So who is " Ranma's words were left unspoken as his sixth and

seventh sense began picking up the emanations of a large and tightly

focused source of ki. Ranma turned around into a ready stance and

waited. As soon as he faced off with whoever was behind them, he

noticed a field of serenity and utter calmness emanating from the

stranger that approached them. He also noted that Koga had made no

move whatsoever to get ready for any unexpected attack. In fact,

Koga was actually wearing an amused grin on his face. It was then

that Ranma realized that this stranger was probably the person that

they had been waiting for. The boy then relaxed into a neutral stance.

"Good day to you, Master Dhalism." Koga greeted.

"Good day to you, Koga." The healer and yoga master from India

stopped in front of them and then nodded his head to the blind lad.

"And you must be Ranma Saotome. Koga has given you much praise

and I can sense that you are well-deserving of such praise."

Ranma could feel the amount of ki being focused within Dhalism

and was in awe. "H-Hello, Master Dhalism. I-I-It is an honor to meet

with one of my sensei's teachers."

The ki master smiled as he said, "Koga had written to me that you

have been training in the healing arts as well as the Unseen Light,

correct?"

"H-Hai." Ranma stammered. His sixth sense was almost

overwhelmed by the amount of ki that was focused within the body

of this man. It was not being emitted like a battle aura, but rather it

was perfectly aligned with his body's natural systems. Ranma had no

doubt that Dhalism had great control over his body's functions.

Dhalism noted Ranma's probing of him and said, "I can sense

great potential within you for healing as well as for fighting and it

would be a shame to waste such promise. Koga had asked me here to

teach you how to use your ki in the process of healing. I am more

than happy to aid you in this."

Ranma nodded as his master and the man from India led him

deeper into the forest.

Throughout the next month, Koga brought several more of his old

mentors over to aid with Ranma's training. As the boy's power over

his ki grew, so did his confidence. His ability to quickly understand

new techniques continued to amaze his teachers.

His martial arts skills were not something to be taken lightly either.

As his senses became even more defined, he quickly began to

practice the martial arts again. He began sparring with Koga,

Shampoo and the other Amazons and they became ever more amazed

at how fast he was improving. Fortunately, he was considered a part

of the tribe, so as long as he did not make any formal challenges, he

was safe from the Kiss of Marriage Law.

Jasmine had become very happy with her adopted son as she took

him on as an apprentice healer. Ranma's enhanced senses made it

easy for him to distinguish different herbs and extracts. His ability to

sense ki allowed him to locate pressure points with no difficulty and

he developed a measure of patience which served him well as a healer

and fighter. By the time Ranma had reached his tenth year, he was

able to stand up against Mousse on his own.

Two years after Ranma's arrival

"Get out of my way!" Mousse snarled as he and Ranma faced

each other in front of Shampoo's house.

Ranma stood at the ready with his staff as he replied in a calm and

firm tone, "Mousse, I would have thought by now that you'd get

the message and leave my cousin alone!"

"Who are you to tell me? You're nothing but a weak and blind

outsider!"

"You're one to talk!" Ranma said curtly. "You couldn't see a

mountain at ten paces without those glasses! Now I'm telling you

nicely! Leave my cousin alone!"

"Make me!" Mousse sneered as he took a stance. He had

beaten Ranma before. Today wasn't going to be any different, right?

He decided to use one of his newest techniques in the Hidden

Weapons style.

"FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN!"

However, as he lashed forward, Ranma smiled as he pulled back a

step, then stabbed forward with his staff, knocking back the object in

Mousse's hands. The nearsighted boy was driven back as the object

smashed into his face. The impact caused his glasses to fall off and

before he could recover, Ranma smacked one end of his staff on top

of Mousse's head. The myopic martial artist went down like sack of

potatoes. The training potty that he had used in his attack clattered

beside him.

Ranma waited for a moment as he used his senses to detect

anything that could be a danger to him. When he ascertained that

Mousse was unconscious, he relaxed and smiled.

Looking out from her bedroom window, Shampoo grinned. It

seemed that Ranma could take care of himself now.

Since his first victory against Mousse, Ranma became even more

confident of his abilities and took to the training even harder. As he

learned of Koga's techniques, the young boy began to catch the

interest of the Elders of the village. With the exception of Cologne,

they had considered Koga's fighting style as passive at best and

didn't really think his skills as anything special. After all, they too

could sense the ki of others. However, when Ranma began learning

Amazon techniques that were thought to be impossible to master for

a blind person, they began to reconsider.

Ranma at age eleven

Cologne was busy, gathering herbs near a mountain stream when

she saw Ranma standing near a huge boulder with Koga instructing

him. The Elder was very surprised to see Ranma glowing with a faint

blue aura. She went over to investigate. When she got to within

twenty feet of them, she saw something very interesting.

Ranma suddenly lashed out with a hand and touched the rock with

his index finger. The boulder suddenly lit up with a faint yellow glow,

then crumbled to pieces! Cologne's eyes widened as she stopped

suddenly and stared at the powdered remains of the rock. Koga and

Ranma smiled as they had long detected her presence and turned

toward her.

"That was the Breaking Point technique!" Cologne said with

surprise to Koga. "How was he able to do that? I don't recall you

ever having trained in that skill!"

Koga shook his head and said, "No Cologne! What you just saw

was not the Backusai Tenketsu, but rather something similar to it! My

prot g and I have mastered a skill in which we are able to use our

senses to find the stress points of any inanimate object! Unlike your

Breaking Point, this skill will work on other things, not just rock! And

you have noticed that the boulder had not exploded into tiny

fragments! Unlike your technique, which forces your ki into a specific

spot and causes a violent explosion, we let our ki flow into the object

and cause a uniform disintegration of its structure! It's a lot less

messier and has more applications!" He turned to Ranma. "Show

Cologne what you can do. Make that tree stump over there

disintegrate!" Koga gestured to a rotting tree that was about forty

feet away.

Ranma nodded as he knelt down and placed a hand on the ground

and concentrated, letting his ki flow through the ground and head

toward the stump. He glowed with the same blue light as Cologne

watched the target. Her eyes became even wider as she saw the dead

wood instantly dissolve into sawdust.

Koga smiled in triumph as he turned to readdress Cologne.

"Ranma can do the original Breaking Point if he wanted to. He

instantly picked up the technique when Sugar used it to blow up a

rock in her garden."

"But how is that possible?" Cologne asked. "He would have

to SEE the technique in order for him to begin to understand it!"

"Not so. Remember, Ranma's ability to sense ki energies is far

better than most. If you were to demonstrate a ki technique to him, he

would be able to learn it by measuring the amount of ki used and

determine how it is focused. You have noticed that Mousse has been

unable to defeat Ranma for the past year, despite Ranma's inability to

see the weapons used against him?"

Cologne nodded.

"Well, the reason why Mousse cannot defeat him is because his

Hidden Weapon techniques are a form of ki manipulation. Ranma can

easily sense the ki as Mousse pulls out or hides a weapon. In fact,

Ranma has learned much more with each fight. Show her, Ranma."

The boy nodded as he raised his hand and made a sweeping

gesture. His staff suddenly appeared in his hand. He dropped it then

made a pair of daggers appear. He then began pulling out more and

more objects out of thin air each item gradually becoming bigger than

the last. Finally, he made a shield appear.

Cologne smiled. "Impressive! Ranma has mastered the Hidden

Weapons style." Cologne then became thoughtful as she

considered what she had seen as she addressed Koga. "If that is

the case then I would suspect that you also know of Amazon

techniques as well."

Koga nodded as he said, "Do not worry Cologne. I have kept

these secrets to myself. I know of your law that no outsider may learn

of your techniques. Since I have been declared as an honorary

member and Ranma has been adopted by Jasmine, then there has

been no violation." He then turned to Ranma. "Ranma, you will

promise to Cologne that you will not show how you learned these

things to anyone who is not an Amazon. Is that understood?"

Ranma nodded as he said, "I promise!"

Within the next two years, Ranma continued to astound the

Amazons with his amazing abilities. Ranma learned to do the

Chestnut Fist, the Rising Dragon Ascension and many other skills.

His status as a warrior began to rise even further, much to the dismay

of Mousse. The near blind martial artist couldn't understand it. In just

a short time, Ranma had gone from being his inferior to being his

better. The fact that he was also getting more and more attention from

the other girls, especially from Shampoo, made him angrier and more

resentful against the young Saotome. It was so unfair to Mousse!

Here this outsider had no eyesight whatsoever and was getting all

the attention from his beloved Shampoo! Mousse was just as blind

as Ranma without his glasses, but his intended bride continued to

consider him as an annoyance. As the two 'cousins' got even closer

in their friendship, Mousse's obsession to claiming Shampoo and

defeating his rival became all consuming.

Ranma at age thirteen

"School?" Jasmine said in confusion.

Koga nodded as they discussed in private in the dining room.

Ranma and Shampoo were busy sparring outside the house. "Yes. I

think it is high time that Ranma experienced the outside world. Since

he is Japanese, I thought that sending him to Japan for a while would

help him get acquainted with things outside the village. He also

needs to learn about where he came from! It would also be a good

training exercise for him."

"I don't see why Ranma has to travel so far. Besides, won't his

blindness be a hindrance to him in such a place?"

"Not at all! Ranma's senses are so sharp, that most people

wouldn't suspect that he is blind. His fingers can now read printed

words on paper, so he won't have to rely on Braille. His seventh

sense prevents him from stumbling around or bumping into things.

Added with the other skills that I have taught him, he will do just fine.

He doesn't even need a cane."

"That may be so." Jasmine agreed. "However, I do not relish

the idea of having him so far away."

"Ranma needs to learn independence, Jasmine. The village has

accepted Ranma, more or less, but the boy has a sort of wanderlust in

him. He wants to experience the world through his other senses,

since he cannot see it. He needs to have this opportunity to travel.

He will be getting a good education and the experience will help him

deal with things that he may not know about if he remained in the

village. The Amazons have let their children travel abroad to learn

about the outside world. I don't see why Ranma is to be denied the

chance to do so."

Jasmine sighed as she looked out the window and watched Ranma

once again trip up Shampoo and pin her to the ground. She smiled as

she watched them roll about on the soil and laugh, as they engaged

in a bit of play fighting. She then turned her attention to Koga.

"Ranma has been my son in name for five years now and I have

grown very fond of him. I suppose it's just a mother's reluctance to

see her child begin to grow apart from her. I will not be around

forever and I know that Ranma does need to learn how to live on his

own one day, but "

"Do not worry Jasmine. I will look after Ranma as he attends

school and he'll only be gone for a semester or so."

"You'll make certain that he'll write back to me? You will keep him

safe? I am fearful that his good-for-nothing father would use this

opportunity to steal him away from me. He hasn't given up after all

this time and he has gotten more determined lately."

"I swear to you Jasmine. Genma will not come within a hundred

feet of the boy."

Jasmine nodded as she called out to her son.

A few months later at an all-boys junior high school in Japan

Ranma strolled down the hallway toward the cafeteria. As Koga

had predicted, Ranma's enhanced senses had made it possible for him

to attend school without having to tell the register's office that he

couldn't see. Reading the textbooks was a snap as he could use his

fingers to trace the ink-printed pages. Writing was possible due to

Koga's techniques of sensory imagery. Whatever input his senses

received would allow Ranma to actually create a three-dimensional

image of the paper in his mind, lines included! Of course, his

handwriting was still considered sloppy as it was before he had lost

his sight. Koga made a note to have Ranma attend a class for

penmanship.

As the blind martial artist approached the cafeteria, he could hear

the large and heavyset lunch lady call out as throngs of hungry, male

adolescents crowded around the counter.

"All right! Here it is! The last curry bread of the day!"

Ranma smiled, as he could smell the delicious aroma of the bread

from the rear of the mob. He then extended his seventh sense

outward and saw in his mind the lunch lady rearing back with her arm

and tossing the bread high up into air above the crowd. He then

sensed another figure jump up toward the bread.

"I got it! I got it!"

Ranma took this opportunity and gauged the height of the boy's

leap by the sound of his voice. He then jumped and used the boy's

head to springboard himself up toward the tasty tidbit. Deftly

catching the prize in his mouth, he then flipped toward the other side

of the crowd and made a perfect landing on his feet. It was then that

he heard an enraged voice.

"How dare you! Who are you?"

Ranma was bit confused as he sensed the boy's anger and

frustration. What's he so mad about? It's just a lousy piece of bread!

It was anybody's game! "Ranma Saotome."

"Saotome! I will never forgive you! You stole my bread! You lousy

thief!"

Gee, guess who that was?

At the end of the semester, Koga was ready to take Ranma back to

the Amazon village. He found the boy sitting on a fence near an

empty lot on the outskirts of the city.

"Ranma! It's time to go home now!"

Ranma turned and smiled. "Master Koga! Over here!"

Koga approached the boy and said, "Is this where you have been

for the last three days? I was worried that your father Genma had

kidnapped you!"

Ranma shook his head. "No, last I heard, Pop was running away

from the police."

Koga nodded. Ever since they had come to Japan, Genma had

made several attempts to reclaim his son. On a few occasions, he had

faced off against Ranma's mentor. Genma had thought that defeating

the blind master would be no problem, but Koga proved him wrong

and had given Ranma's father a painful beating each time. During the

school year, Genma had been committing many acts of petty crimes in

the area. He stole food, clothing, money and whatever he could get

his hands on, while he tried to get his offspring back. Many

restaurant owners and shopkeepers were angered when the fat

martial artist would run without paying for what he ate or took. It

seemed that he practiced the Anything Goes style in the literal sense.

The complaints and charges began to build up and it wasn't long

before Genma was on the wanted lists.

"So what are you doing here Ranma?" Koga asked.

"I was challenged by some guy to a duel of honor. As an Amazon,

I have to accept, right?"

"Oh, well I suppose that would be the case. So when is he

supposed to be here?"

"Actually, he was supposed to have been here three days ago."

"What? Just where does this boy live?"

"In that house over there." Ranma gestured to the house behind

him.

"And he hasn't shown up yet?!"

Ranma shrugged. "What can I say? He's got the world's worst

sense of direction! It's kind of funny though." He chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"Ryoga always got lost on his way to school and back, so I had to

lead the way for him every day! A blind boy leading someone that

CAN see! I still haven't told him that I'm blind!" He chuckled a little

more.

"I suppose that it is kind of ironic. However, since the boy has

failed to show up, it is his fault! Never mind that he has a problem

with directions. He challenged you and he failed to uphold it.

According to Amazon law, you have won by forfeit! I'm afraid that we

must get going now. Our plane will be leaving shortly and your

mother Jasmine can't wait to see you again. Let's not disappoint her."

Ranma let off a long sigh as he got off his perch and followed his

teacher.

The very next day, Ryoga Hibiki arrived at the empty lot and found

that Ranma was long gone. He became enraged as he shouted out to

the heavens at his missed chance for revenge. He then collapsed to

the ground due to his unintentional trek around the major cities of

Japan.

Ranma at age fifteen

"I told you before Mousse! Leave my cousin alone!"

"FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN!"

POW!

Mousse found himself sprawled on his back, his eyes seeing stars

as the large, duck-shaped training potty clattered to the ground

beside him. Ranma stood with his staff held at the ready. Ranma's

expression became stern as he said, "That trick didn't work when we

were ten, Mousse. What made you think that it would work now?"

Mousse angrily got up and faced off against his opponent. "You

claim to be Shampoo's cousin, but you're nothing but a weak outsider

male that Jasmine took pity on years ago!"

"Weak am I? Well, if you think I'm weak, then what does that

make you? I've been beating you since I was ten!"

"You were just lucky that I didn't use any of my more deadlier

techniques on you! But now I see that I have been going too easy on

you! You have been my only obstacle to winning my Shampoo!"

"Oh please! Your own stupidity is what's keeping you from

Shampoo! I thought that after thirteen years, you'd have gotten the

hint that Shampoo doesn't like you!"

"She does love me! I know that deep down inside her, she and I

are fated to be wed! She's just playing hard to get! If it wasn't for you

and your silly outsider notions, she would have realized it by now!"

"Oh brother! For someone who can still see, you're even more in

the dark than I am! Listen up Mousse! Shampoo wants nothing to do

with you! She has already rejected you Kami-sama knows how many

times! Why don't you just accept the truth and leave her be?"

"Never! Shampoo is mine and I will remove all obstacles to her

heart! Since you have repeatedly gotten in my way, I'm going to

finish you off once and for all! Obstacles are for killing! That is the

Amazon way!" Mousse made a spear appear and charged at his

opponent.

Ranma had long sensed the maneuver by reading Mousse's ki and

countered. Using his staff to parry Mousse's weapon, he then

delivered a snap kick to his chin. As Mousse staggered back, he then

jabbed forward with a finger and hit a pressure point on one of his

foe's wrists, causing that hand to open up. He then slid his staff

forward and used a twisting motion to bring the butt end of the spear

up, causing the pointed end downward and into the ground.

Mousse was surprised to find out that his weapon was now stuck

in the dirt, but before he could try to pull it out, Ranma hopped up

and introduced his left foot to his enemy's face. The kick slammed

into the Hidden Weapon master's mouth and he was sent back a

dozen feet or so. The spear remained stuck in the ground as Mousse

found himself on his back again.

"That's it! You're dead!" Mousse came to his feet again, but

before he could pull out another weapon, Cologne, Jasmine and

Shampoo arrived on the scene.

"HOLD!"

The two combatants stopped as they turned toward Cologne.

Cologne regarded Mousse with displeasure. During the last few

years, she had reversed her earlier stand against Ranma and

Shampoo getting close. Ranma had become a very good healer under

Jasmine's teachings and Koga had shaped him into a formidable

fighter. Many of the other Amazons had also considered Ranma a

good catch. He had grown up to be very handsome and well muscled.

Being raised by Jasmine had corrected the three years of malnutrition

and poor health care that living under Genma had caused. He was

good natured, polite toward his betters and showed respect to those

who merited it. Ranma was tall, almost 6'2" and moved with incredible

grace. His enhanced senses and physical prowess ranked him among

the top fighters in the village. Unknown to Ranma, several of the

Amazons had been petitioning Jasmine to challenge him for the right

to marry him.

The healer was very happy to see that her dream of seeing Ranma

settling down with children may be realized. She didn't particularly

care who Ranma married, so long as he was happy. She had on many

occasions, hinted that he could take more than one mate. She was

looking forward to seeing Ranma's face when he realized that he had

been upgraded from being a barely tolerated outsider, to prime

husband material. She had also been thinking of something else.

Grandchildren!

"Just what do you think you are doing Mousse?" Cologne said

in a firm, yet dangerous tone.

"What do you mean?" Mousse replied indignantly. "I'm just

taking care of a certain nuisance that has plagued our village for so

long!"

"You will not speak about my son in that manner!" Jasmine said

with a glare.

"He's not one of us!" Mousse shot back. "He wasn't born

here! He has no right to call himself an Amazon!"

"Mousse!" Cologne said. "Jasmine had willingly adopted this

boy as her son and the Council had agreed on it! He is therefore an

Amazon and has all the rights and privileges! We have tolerated your

hostility toward him thus far, but now it seems that you are directly

challenging Ranma's rights. If you wish to fight him, you will do so

with a formal challenge!"

"What?! You defend this outsider?"

"I defend the laws of our people!" Cologne stated. "Now will

you give Ranma a formal challenge, or do you wish to state your case

to the Council?"

Mousse found his mouth and throat suddenly become dry. He had

no wish to go up against the Council of Elders. He knew that Ranma

was a favorite among most of the tribe.

"All right, I hereby challenge this outsider to Trial by Combat!"

"Where?" Ranma asked.

Mousse grinned sadistically. He knew that Ranma's father had

almost drowned him eight years ago, so he hoped that water would

yet be his downfall. "Jusenkyo."

Ranma frowned as he heard that name. He had been told by his

mother that the Training Grounds of Cursed Springs was forbidden

and before he had become blind, he remembered that Genma had

planned to take him to Jusenkyo during their training trip. It had been

Ranma's experience that any idea of Genma's was a bad one.

Fighting Blind

Ranma Saotome and the gang are Rumiko Takahashi's creation. Nuff

said.

: Thoughts

"": Chinese language

Chapter Two

Unseen Path

It was a cold and windy afternoon at the Training Grounds of

Cursed Springs. The Guide had just lit his pipe as he sat near a

campfire when he saw a group of people approach the main entrance

to the valley. He nodded as he recognized the group.

"Many Amazons come to Jusenkyo today. Must be very

important if Elder come here too."

Ranma and Mousse led the group as they approached the edge of

the pools which had many bamboo poles scattered about each

spring. Behind them, Koga, Shampoo, Jasmine, Cologne and several

other Amazons followed them, as they would serve as witnesses for

the duel.

"Mother, I don't like the feel of this place. It seems as if I'm

feeling the cries of a hundred tortured souls calling out to me."

Jasmine regarded her adopted child with a thoughtful look. She

had remembered Koga mentioning that Ranma's abilities were

sensitive enough to detect energies that pertained to the

supernatural. "You are very perceptive Ranma. I'm not surprised

that you feel this way. Jusenkyo is a place of many tragedies and

more than a hundred unfortunate people and animals have met their

doom here. Each spring has had something or someone drown in it,

leaving a terrible curse in their waters. I would advise you to be very

careful here! As this is a duel of honor, I cannot interfere. I can give

you this warning however. Do not fall into any of the springs! Your

blindness is burden enough without having to worry about a

Jusenkyo curse!"

As soon as the group reached the center of the training grounds,

Mousse strutted forward and regarded his rival. "Now I will prove

to all that I am the only one worthy to receive Shampoo's love!"

Mousse said as he leapt up to perch on one of the poles. He then

looked down at his hated rival and sneered. "Come on you coward!

Face your end!"

Ranma turned to give Shampoo and the others a reassuring smile

as he leapt up to land on a pole opposite to Mousse. The Amazons

took a seat on a nearby log as Cologne began stating the terms of the

match.

"There will be no time limit! No outside interference will be

tolerated! Victory can be achieved by knocking your opponent into a

spring, submission . or death! When I give the signal to begin, you

will start fighting! The result of the match will determine Ranma's

rights as an Amazon! Prepare yourselves!"

Ranma began focusing his ki for the imminent battle. His aura

began to glow as he extended all of his enhanced senses at Mousse

and his surroundings. His seventh sense gave him an image of each

of the poles and the location of the cursed springs in his mind. He

then thrust out his staff in a ready position and waited.

"BEGIN!"

Mousse wasted no time as he leapt toward his opponent and

threw his sleeves forward. A barrage of poison-tipped daggers flew

toward Ranma.

Ranma's nostrils flared a bit as he recognized the kind of poison

Mousse was using. It was a rare herbal extract that was even more

lethal than curare. His sixth sense had already warned him about the

threat and he had gauged Mousse's ki energy when he had thrown

the daggers. His seventh sense tracked the trajectory of the daggers

as they streaked toward him. All this sensory input was received in

an instant and Ranma reacted accordingly.

Instead of leaping to avoid the blades, Ranma began spinning his

staff like a propeller. Each dagger was deflected away with ease. Not

a single one touched him. As the last knife fell, Ranma then threw out

an arm and launched his own counterattack. His seventh sense had

already located Mousse as he was landing on a pole to his right.

The Hidden Weapons fighter was more than shocked when he

saw his opponent suddenly make a hundred throwing stars appear.

He had to get off his perch quickly in order to avoid the shurikens as

they cut to pieces the pole he had been on a moment before. He

landed on another pole while cursing.

"That can't be! You can't know Hidden Weapon techniques!"

Ranma smiled as he pivoted on one foot. "Just because I'm blind,

doesn't mean that I'm helpless!"

"I will not tolerate this insult!" Mousse roared as he leapt to

attack him again, this time pulling out a longsword.

Ranma ducked under Mousse's slash, then swung his staff in an

arc that smacked into Mousse's side and sent him flying. Mousse

had to twist and reach out toward a pole to avoid falling into a spring.

He was barely able to use the pole to spring him up and flip toward

another perch. He began breathing hard as he saw how close he had

come to losing the match.

Damn him! I've got to separate him from that staff of his! He's got

a longer reach and my weapons can't get close enough! Mousse

decided to change his tactics as he threw out a length of chain,

hoping to ensnare Ranma's weapon away from him.

Ranma's sixth sense measured the amount of ki that Mousse had

used to throw the chain and his radar-sense tracked the links as they

streaked toward the end of his staff. Just as the chain wrapped

around one end of his staff, Ranma used this opportunity to turn the

tables. He gave a mighty pull and 'yanked Mousse's chain!' (Pardon

the pun).

Mousse was unprepared at the sudden movement and

unfortunately for him, he was still attached to the chain. He found

himself pulled off his perch and making an arc toward a spring. He

released his weapon, then brought forth a staff of his own. He thrust

it forward and used it to pole-vault himself back up to another

bamboo pole.

Ranma leapt forward guided by his sense of hearing. He stabbed

out with his staff and hit Mousse's inverted form in the chest, just as

he was heading up toward a safe landing spot. Mousse was knocked

back, dropping his weapon and just missed another spring. The two

leapt back and faced each other off.

By now, Mousse was getting angrier. He had yet to score a single

hit on his adversary, while Ranma was mocking both him and his

techniques. Weren't his Hidden Weapon skills more formidable than

that weak Unseen Light? It was almost as if he knew what weapons

he was going to pull out. Then, he realized what was going on. His

opponent was blind, right? That must mean that his other senses

were far sharper than his, especially his sense of hearing. With this in

mind, he came up with a plan to defeat Ranma.

Mousse made another leap with his sleeves held at the ready. Just

as Ranma prepared to counter with a thrust, Mousse pulled out a pair

of cymbals and slammed them together.

Ranma screamed as the loud noise echoed against his sensitive

eardrums. Mousse took advantage of his disorientation and lashed

forward with a hand blade. Ranma's sixth sense barely had enough

time to warn him and his body reacted on reflex. Ranma leapt back,

almost evading the blade completely. The weapon just barely nicked

his chest as Ranma landed on another pole. Mousse was grinning as

he landed on another perch.

Ranma was shaking his head to clear it as his foe laughed. When

the ringing stopped, he tuned into what his opponent was saying.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! I've got you now Ranma! That blade I

used was poison-tipped! All I had to do was scratch you! In less

than a minute, you'll be dead! I have won! Shampoo is mine!"

Ranma began to feel numbness in his legs and arms as the poison

began to spread all over him. It was taking all of his strength just to

remain balanced on his pole. His hands started to lose their strength

and he couldn't hold onto his staff. The weapon dropped down and

splashed down in one of the pools below.

Shampoo watched in horror as her childhood friend began to

become pale and unsteady. She took a step forward, but was stopped

by a cane held out in front of her. She looked down and saw her

great-grandmother giving her a stern look. She looked back up at

Ranma then down at Cologne. The Elder shook her head, telling

Shampoo with her eyes that interference was not permitted. This was

a duel of honor and she would see it through. Shampoo bit back her

tears as she waited for the inevitable.

Ranma began to feel dizzy as the poison increased its effect on

him. As he began to lose consciousness, he began hearing Jasmine's

voice in his head. A memory of his younger days came back to him as

he thought back to a time when he was twelve and his adopted

mother was telling him about a technique in which one could speed

up one's own healing.

Ranma, it is just as important to heal yourself as it is to heal

others! By striking these specific pressure points on your arms and

chest, your ki energy will be stimulated enough to stop the spread of

poison and begin the healing process that much sooner! But you

must take care! Missing these spots by even the slightest fraction

would cause great and permanent harm to your body!

Ranma then remembered what Master Koga had told him about the

sixth sense.

Ranma my boy, the sixth sense can not only detect the ki of

others, but it can also detect the ki in one's self. If for some reason

that your physical senses should fail, you can still rely on it to 'feel'

your own body!

Ranma nodded, as he knew what to do. With only ten seconds of

his life left, he began to focus his sixth sense onto himself. His

skeletal muscles were locking up and his skin was growing cold.

Within two seconds, he had located the correct pressure points with

his sixth sense, since the poison was affecting his sense of touch.

With a final gasp, he stabbed at each pressure point with the index

and middle fingers of each hand.

A moment of silence passed. Then another and another. Mousse

became very confused. Ranma should have keeled over dead by now.

Why hadn't he?

Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt his body beginning

to warm up again. His muscles began to unlock and some of his

strength returned. It was just through sheer willpower that he had

managed to keep his balance during that time. Ranma straightened up

and faced his opponent once more.

"Impossible! You should be dead by now!"

Ranma mouth turned up in a smirk as he said, "Well, I guess they

don't make poison the way they used to!"

"DIE!" Mousse screamed as he leapt toward him with the same

hand blade, thinking that Ranma didn't get enough of the poison in

his body the first time around.

Ranma sensed Mousse's approach and leapt out of the way. He

landed on another pole unsteadily and realized that even though the

poison inside him wasn't going to kill him, it had still made him too

weak to fight off Mousse's attack effectively. Furthermore, Mousse

still had those cymbals and could still use them to his advantage

against him. Ranma had to end this fight and fast.

Mousse jumped from pole to pole, maneuvering to get into a good

position to attack. Ranma didn't have his staff so he wouldn't be able

to fight unless he was at close range. Mousse also knew that Ranma

was sensitive to sound. As he came at Ranma again, he took out the

cymbals and clanged them together.

However, to the Hidden Weapons master's surprise, Ranma did

not react to the noise as he leapt up and delivered a downward punch

to Mousse's head, sending him down toward a cursed spring. It was

though sheer luck that he managed to grab hold of a shorter pole and

swing over to another. He turned to look at his opponent, who was

taking a crane stance ten feet away.

Ranma smiled as he thought back to another skill that Koga had

taught him.

Ranma, there will be times in which having sharp hearing and a

sense of smell would be a hindrance. I shall teach you a way to

temporarily tune out noises and smells. Do not worry, since you will

still be able to use your sixth and seventh sense to guide you

through.

As of now, Ranma was deaf as well as blind, so Mousse's sound

attack had no effect on him. His sixth sense had warned him about his

approach and his seventh sense guided him to where he should

strike. He could already sense the anger building up in his foe as he

rushed toward him once more to finish off the fight. Ranma waited on

his perch and reached out with his two extra senses. When Mousse

was almost on top of him, he launched his final attack.

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

Ranma's fists blurred forward and struck Mousse several hundred

times in the ribs. Although he was not hitting with any considerable

strength due to the poison, the effect was still devastating! Mousse

was thrown back and made a short arc toward a cursed spring. He

threw out a sleeve and a chain whipped out to snag a pole beside

Ranma's position.

Ranma crouched down and reached out with a finger. When he

touched the chain, he focused his ki into it. The energy ran the length

of the chain and then caused it to disintegrate into metal powder

before it had a chance to become taut.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mousse screamed in horror, as the only means of saving himself

was gone. He made a tremendous splash into the spring and

disappeared under the surface. A moment later, a duck wearing

Mousse's thick glasses came up and began quacking angrily.

"Uh oh! He fall into Yazsniichuan!" Said the Guide. "Spring of

Drowned Duck! Very tragic legend of duck that drown 3000 year ago!

Now whoever fall in spring take body of duck!"

The Amazons cheered as Cologne declared Ranma the winner.

Ranma smiled as his hearing restored itself. He crouched down and

said weakly, "Could someone help me get down?" The Chestnut

Fist had exhausted almost all of Ranma's remaining strength and he

was about to drop off into the spring below him. Koga noted Ranma's

low ki level and leapt up to retrieve his pupil.

Sometime later, Ranma was still being congratulated as he was

recovering in Jasmine's house. Shampoo kept on bubbling on about

Ranma's victory as the healer applied some special lotions to prevent

infection from the cut on his chest and to help drive out the poison

faster.

"Aiya! You did great Ranma!" Shampoo glomped onto him and

gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Ranma's cheeks took on twin spots of red. Even though he still

considered Shampoo as his cousin, he was a little more than

embarrassed by this display of affection.

"I am very proud of you, my son!" Jasmine said with a smile.

"As am I." Koga added. "You fought well." The blind master

addressed Jasmine and Shampoo. "If you three wouldn't mind, I

would like to speak with Ranma alone."

Jasmine looked at her son, who gave her a reassuring nod. She

then led Cologne and Shampoo out of the room and closed the door

behind her.

Koga smiled as he spoke to his pupil. "Ranma, I noticed that you

used that technique I taught you to tune out noises and smells and

to rely on your sixth and seventh sense."

The blind boy nodded. "Well, I sort of figured that Mousse

would try to use those cymbals again."

"That technique helped me convince Cologne that the Unseen

Light Martial Arts was just as good as Amazonian Wu Shu"

"Really? Tell me about it."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I haven't told you much about

myself, have I? Well, my story began more than forty years ago. I

was about ten years old and was traveling with my parents through

China. My father was a very good doctor and was part of the groups

that periodically visited the Amazons. My parents were on good

terms with the Joketsuzoku. One time, my father helped save this very

village from a plague that would have killed off most of the tribe. It

was because of this act that my family was made honorary members

of the Amazons. However, when I had reached my eleventh birthday,

their ancient enemies, the Musk Dynasty, attacked the village. My

parents were killed and the last thing I saw was a Musk warrior's

knife. The Amazons were able to beat back the attack, but it was too

late to save my eyesight."

"That's so terrible!"

Koga nodded. "Since I was an honorary member of the tribe, the

Amazons adopted me. A gentle healer named Lily raised me.

However, my blindness made me seem too weak and helpless in front

of the others and I was ridiculed and teased daily. Then, when I

became fourteen, a priest by the name of Shogo Natsurmuri, came to

the village. Shogo had some distant relatives in the tribe and visited

them once every few years. Like myself, he was blind, but he didn't

act like he was. He didn't move as if he had no sight. In fact, very few

even suspected that he was sightless. His senses enabled him to act

as if he had perfect eyesight. He was considered a formidable fighter

among the warriors and the Elders respected his battle prowess."

"No one knew he was blind?"

"Except for a few, the Amazons assumed that he still had his

vision. Despite the fact that he couldn't see, his other senses allowed

him to detect that I too, was blind. He approached me one day and

revealed that he was the same. He then took a lonely and sightless

boy and taught him how to 'see!' In ways I never knew existed!"

"The sixth and seventh sense?"

"That's right Ranma. My other physical sense of hearing, taste,

touch and smell were already sharper than normal. Four years of

being blind can do that. However, Shogo taught me a way not only to

enhance those senses, but also helped me develop the other two!

Amazon techniques that I had seen, before I was blinded, became

very easy to understand with my sixth and seventh senses! I was

never able to master those skills before with my sight, but now that I

am able to accurately measure ki energies and determine how they are

focused, no technique is impossible for me to learn!"

Ranma nodded. It had been easy for him to learn techniques, even

though he could not see the technique in front of him! The Chestnuts

Roasting Over an Open Fire was a good example. Ranma had been

standing right behind Jasmine when she had accidentally dropped a

few nuts into the fire while making a stew. When she had used the

skill to pluck those nuts out of the fire, Ranma's sixth sense had

gauged the amount of ki used and determined how it was applied. He

had spent the next few days building up his speed and by the end of

the week, he was able to duplicate the skill. His adopted mother was

very shocked to see her son's hands actually move with enough

speed to catch fish out of a mountain stream without getting them

wet.

Koga continued on. "Master Shogo taught me that the world did

not end when it goes dark. By the time I was eighteen, I had mastered

the principles of the Unseen Light Martial Arts and used them to

learn Amazon techniques. I preferred not to show off, but I did try to

convince the Elders of the advantages of my training. Most of them

dismissed my abilities as parlor tricks and assumed that I already

knew the skills before I was rendered blind. Cologne was among the

disbelievers. She would frequently say that my fighting style was too

passive and not fit to be noticed. It wasn't until I was twenty-one

that I proved her wrong!"

"What happened?"

"I challenged her."

"YOU challenged Cologne?!"

"That I did!" Koga said proudly. "The Elder couldn't believe

that I would actually have the gall to fight her. It took some doing but

I finally had her to agree to duel with me in a secret place in the

forest."

"What happened?"

"Cologne still couldn't believe that a brash and blind male

upstart would have the nerve to go against a matriarch with almost

three hundred years worth of experience. Still, she had been

observing me and thought that I had gained some considerable skill

during my training with Shogo. She decided to test my skills by

fighting in a way that would render my physical senses worthless.

Before she came to the place where we were to duel, she had bathed

herself in a special soap that totally removed her scent. During our

fight, she deployed special techniques that distorted the sounds

around us, while she used stealth maneuvers to mask her attacks. She

also made certain that her ki energies were tightly focused within

her."

"What happened?"

"Even though I could not hear or smell her, my radar-sense

always told me where she was. My sixth sense was still sensitive

enough to detect her ki, despite the fact that it was buried deep

within her. She couldn't catch me unawares or launch a single attack

against me without me countering each one. I totally tuned out my

sense of hearing and smell and relied solely on my sixth and seventh

sense to fight her. Three hours later, she still couldn't get the upper

hand on me. The match ended in a draw and Cologne finally admitted

that my skills as a warrior were as good as the others. Anyone who

could last that long against a matriarch earned her respect. Of course,

she didn't tell anyone that she couldn't beat a blind male, but the fact

that I have earned her respect was enough for me. And now, it seems

that the Unseen Light Martial Arts is becoming of great interest to

the other Amazons as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Ranma, I am sure that you have noticed that the girls in the

village have given you a lot more ahem, attention lately?"

Ranma's cheeks blushed even redder as he remembered the past

year or so. Many of the girls, especially Shampoo had been getting

friendlier toward him. Sugar, Spice, Azure, and several others had

been inviting him over to their homes and asking him out for dates.

The Elders had also been dropping hints that Ranma should marry

their heirs. A gentle nudge here, a subtle prod there and so forth.

And of course, his mother Jasmine would always tell him in a

roundabout way that he should go forth and multiply. Ranma sighed

and shook his head bemusedly. He then sensed that his master's ki

began to wane. A moment later, Koga coughed.

"Master? Is something wrong?"

Koga cleared his throat and said in a reassuring tone, "No, it's

nothing for you to be concerned about."

Ranma wasn't really convinced that Koga was telling the truth. For

the past several months, Ranma's senses had been detecting an

imbalance in Koga's ki. Every nowand then, it would make a severe

drop in power level, then climb unsteadily back up. His master had

also been coughing more frequently and every so often, he would

become easily fatigued. The blind master would keep saying that it

was just his age starting to catch up with him, he was over sixty after

all, but deep down, the blind Saotome knew it was something else.

"We shall resume your training tomorrow Ranma." Koga turned

and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

A while later, Koga and Cologne were discussing the events of the

day as they sat near the Challenge Log in the center of the village.

They smiled as they listened in on the gentle music that came from a

bamboo flute. Ranma's exceptional hearing had made him gifted in

music, and he was now sitting on the roof of Jasmine's house,

playing a soft melody on the flute he had crafted. Many of the other

villagers paused in their daily lives to listen in on Ranma's playing.

Ranma had found that his superior hearing allowed him to listen to

the subtle variances in sound. He could memorize each note, and play

back any song after only hearing it once. Furthermore, he could

detect any conflicting dissonance and correct them, making the tunes

flow together more smoothly. The result was a melody that was so

perfect, that any listener would find it next to impossible not to be

moved by such music.

"Ranma is very talented, Koga."

"Indeed he is! I couldn't have found a more worthy heir to the

Unseen Light Martial Arts!" Koga coughed again, causing Cologne

to become concerned.

"You still haven't told him, have you?"

Koga cleared his voice and became silent. After a long while of

just listening to Ranma's playing, he sighed and said, "I do not wish

for him to be distracted. He is very close to mastering all that I can

teach him. I have already started on his final training. It wouldn't do

for him to lose his focus if he were to know about my problem."

"You can't hide it from Ranma forever you know. Already, the

boy is beginning to sense your ki is starting to ebb. So how long did

that doctor give you?"

Koga paused as he thought back to the time the medical group

that had visited the village last month. After getting the bad news

from the physician, he had consulted Jasmine and the other healers

of the Amazons. They too had come to the same conclusion. The

cancer within his body was too far into its advanced stages and he

had been given less than a year to live. There was nothing that could

be done. Koga took a deep breath and said, "I'll just have enough

time to complete Ranma's training and teach him the final techniques

of the Unseen Light. I had received word that Master Shogo died a

week ago and I am not long for this world. When I go, Ranma shall

be the only master of the Unseen Light."

"Are there no others?"

Koga shook his head. "Shogo had no heirs. The only surviving

users of the Unseen Light are Ranma and myself. The techniques of

our fighting style were so secret that they were never written down.

They were only passed down from teacher to student."

"I see." Cologne paused for a moment, then said, "You do

realize that once you are gone, then the Unseen Light techniques

shall be viewed as belonging to the Amazons."

Koga nodded. "Yes, now that Ranma has proven his rights as an

Amazon, the skills and knowledge that he has are considered

property of the tribe. He is aware of it and has promised me that he

will not teach what he knows to an outsider."

In the months that followed, Ranma's training became ever more

intense as his skills were pushed to their limits. The training was not

with out hardship and the blind boy soon discovered that though

Genma no longer raised him, he was still causing him trouble.

A few months after the duel

"Ranma! You have a visitor!"

"I'm coming Mother! So who is errk!"

The blind teenager was unable to finish as some stranger

suddenly put him into a bear hug.

"Ranma! It's me, your Dad! At last I've found you!"

"D-Dad?!" Although he hadn't heard from Genma in over seven

years, he knew for certain that this visitor wasn't him.

"Yes my boy, once you marry my daughter then you'll become my

true heir!"

"Say what?!"

"You can come out now Kaori!" The strange man called out to

someone who was waiting in the next room. Ranma's sixth and

seventh sense detected the strong presence of someone entering. By

the scent, he could tell that she was female. He also sensed an

exceptional amount of control over her ki. He could see in his mind by

way of his seventh sense, of the girl kneeling down and presenting

herself to him.

"Greetings, future husband." The voice was soft and a bit melodic.

"Well son, she's a beauty isn't she? She makes a lovely bride!"

"Huh?"

"Excuse me?" Jasmine decided to intervene at this time. "Just what

is going on?"

"Oh." The strange man released his hold on Ranma and turned to

face her. "And who might you be?"

"I am Jasmine. I am Ranma's mother. Now would you mind

explaining to me what is going on?"

"Certainly. Your son Ranma will be marrying my daughter."

"What?!" Jasmine's expression became a bit sterner. "Are you

saying that my son is engaged to a girl that neither he nor I have ever

met, much less approved of?!"

"Errr " The strange man began explaining. "Well, I'm afraid that it

is a matter of family honor that he marry my daughter Kaori. For the

sake of the Daijkoku clan, the promise that Genma had made to me

must be fulfilled."

"And exactly what promise was this?"

The father of Kaori began recounting his little encounter with

Genma Saotome that had occurred some three years ago. When he

finished his story, Jasmine's temper had begun to rise to a fast boil.

Ranma was also miffed.

"Ranma was sold for a fish?!"

"I also threw in the rice and two pickles." The man said with a bit

of pride.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of!" Jasmine

exclaimed. By now, she was mad enough to go to search for Genma

and correct that little error she made years ago. The error being in not

ending his life. The fat martial artist had actually offered to exchange

his child's future for a small meal, even though he no longer raised

him. Jasmine looked ready to explode. Then suddenly, she instantly

became calm as she addressed the head of the Daijkoku family.

"Would you please excuse me for a moment?"

Jasmine went into the kitchen while Ranma and the others waited.

As they waited for Jasmine to return, Kaori took a good look at her

fianc e. Ranma was very handsome; there was no doubt about it. He

had a muscular frame and moved with uncanny grace. He seemed to

radiate warmth. He was a good catch. The girl decided that she would

take him.

Jasmine returned with a small sack and placed it on the table in

front of the man. "Here. Take it and go!"

"What's this?"

"That's a day's supply of fish, rice and pickles! Take it and leave!

My son will marry whomever he chooses, and not because of some

idiotic promise made by his worthless father!"

"But it is a matter of honor! An agreement made between his father

and me!" The man protested.

"It is the best deal that you are going to get." Another voice said

calmly.

The group turned toward the door and saw Cologne, Sugar, Spice

and Shampoo standing with weapons unsheathed. Ranma had

already detected their presence when they came to the house, and he

didn't even need to use his enhanced senses to feel what their

emotions were at the moment. They had heard the whole thing and

they weren't the tiniest bit pleased. Battle auras were flaring and

Ranma was especially surprised at the intensity of his adopted

mother's. Jasmine rarely had to show her battle aura, but the blind

boy knew that getting on her bad side was something to be avoided.

It was at the top of his list of things not to do.

The father of Kaori assessed the situation and didn't like what he

saw. His daughter may have mastered the techniques of the Daijkoku

School of Martial Arts Takeout, but they were badly outnumbered

and not just from the people in the house. When he and Kaori had

arrived at the village, they had seen the many warriors and the

weapons they carried. Even if they did manage to fight their way out

of the house, their chances of making it out of the village alive were

close to nil.

In this situation, Kaori's father did the only thing he could do. He

silently took the bag and led his protesting daughter out of the

house. When they reached the gates, they were firmly escorted by a

pair of guards to the path that led them out of the area.

Ranma and the Amazons breathed out a sigh of relief when it was

clear that there would be no violence. When everyone had calmed

down, Jasmine made a comment, which reflected everyone else's

opinion of a certain martial artist. "Ranma's father is a total IDIOT!"

Unfortunately, this was not the only incident in which Genma had

used his son to feed his fat belly. For the next four months, Ranma

was visited by no less than a dozen would-be fianc es, as one girl

after another came to claim him. Soon, the entire village was in

agreement that Genma Saotome had all the brains of an overcooked

cabbage.

Ranma at age sixteen

As the training in the Unseen Light neared its end, Ranma's status

as an Amazon rose even further. His enhanced senses not only made

him a great fighter and healer, but it had also given him excellent

tracking skills. He was good enough to give some serious

competition to Tiger, the village's best tracker. Tiger was a bit of a

loner. Her father had been a tiger that had fallen into the Spring of

Drowned Man in Jusenkyo. She had slightly pointed ears, slitted

pupils, fangs and her body was lightly furred. Her tracking abilities

were nothing to be sneezed at though. She was able to track a fly

across a marsh and could tell a person's identity, no matter how one

disguised his or her appearance. When Ranma displayed his amazing

sense of hearing, smell and ki detection, Tiger found herself hard-

pressed to keep up. Fortunately, the two became fast friends and

eventually, Ranma's innate charm and good looks soon made Tiger

join the ranks of those who desired to have him as a husband,

despite the fact that she was four years younger than he was.

His fellow Amazons also enjoyed his aptitude for music and many

would request for impromptu concerts, especially among the younger

generations. Two girls in particular were Ling Ling and Lung Lung.

The two would always ask their 'Big Brother Ranma' to play his flute

for them. Ranma's senses allowed him to project the melodies in their

purest tones, coming up with tunes that would have made the great

musicians weep with joy.

Razor, the village weaponsmith was very impressed by the way

Ranma could use his senses to detect the weaknesses and structural

flaws of any material. The blind boy would come by his forge every

now and then to help in his work. Weak points in metals were

hammered out. Edges were made more smother and sharper. Mistakes

and flaws were pointed out and corrected. The results were weapons

of extraordinary quality and durability. Products made by both Razor

and Ranma were highly sought out.

The blind boy's abilities soon made him a Jack of Many Trades. By

this time, the village began treating Ranma as an irreplaceable

treasure of the Amazons.

One fine day

Ranma was standing in a forest clearing, his feet spread apart and

his staff held out of front of him. A short distance away, Koga was

sitting on a log and instructing him.

"Reach out with your senses and feelings, Ranma. Let your ki

flow out and touch your surroundings!"

Ranma nodded as concentrated. His body glowed with a soft blue

aura, which began to intensify itself as he slowly focused on the

trees, the ground and the air around him.

"Excellent! Now remember what I had taught you earlier Ranma!

Don't force your ki into nature! Cooperate with it! Become one with

it!"

Ranma took a deep breath and let his senses take in each detail of

his environment. Every odor was smelled. Every air current was felt.

Every sound was heard. Then, Ranma's senses extended themselves

beyond the physical realm. Mystic forces that were the basis of all

magic were detected. Ranma could feel the distant power of Jusenkyo

beckoning to him. Ranma could feel the spirits that roamed the astral

plane. He could sense the power of the Almighty in heaven and the

dark evil of Lucifer in hell. All that was, all that is and all that ever will

be on Earth was now a part of Ranma in a way in which he couldn't

even begin to describe.

Koga smiled as he sensed Ranma's aura reach a certain level.

"Now my student, absorb what you sense. Gather the energy within

yourself. Focus it and make it a part of you!"

The blind adolescent's brow furrowed in intense concentration.

Unnoticed by him, tiny pinpricks of energy began to appear around

him. These dots of energy floated beside him like fireflies and then

were absorbed into him, causing his aura to become the purest white.

His power level began to build as more energy was gathered. Soon,

Ranma was radiating enough power to light the entire forest on a

moon-less night.

The villagers were a little more than surprised to see the forest

glow with an eerie light. At first they thought it was a forest fire, but

the absence of smoke dismissed that idea from their heads. The

Elders were especially fascinated by this event as they detected the

huge amount of ki energy being focused. One matriarch in particular

watched with her great-granddaughter.

"Great-grandmother, what is happening?"

"If I am not mistaken Shampoo, I believe that Koga is teaching

Ranma the final technique of the Unseen Light."

Back in the forest, Koga braced himself against a tree as he sensed

that Ranma's power had peaked. He then called out to him. "NOW

RANMA!"

Ranma inhaled as he pointed his staff to the sky. The wooden pole

suddenly glowed white just as his aura transferred all the

accumulated energy into it.

"SPIRIT BEAM!"

A small ball of energy appeared at the end of the staff and then a

thin beam of energy shot upward. The resulting discharge of all that

energy at once caused a massive shockwave to erupt from where

Ranma was standing. The circle of ki energy rippled outward and

shook the massive trees as if they were saplings. Koga was knocked

off his feet as the tree he was holding onto toppled over. In the

village, the Amazons were similarly started as the shockwave rumbled

through their homes and rattled their windows.

The beam of energy streaked upward into the heavens and became

a distant dot in the sky. A moment later, the sky lit up as a huge flash

of energy exploded. All those who had been watching the beam's

trajectory were temporarily blinded. A moment later, the brightness

faded away.

Ranma sank to his knees, his body almost totally exhausted from

the effort. Bracing him self on his staff, he managed to get to a

standing position. "How did I do Master?"

There was no answer.

"Master? All you all right?"

Silence was his only response.

"Master?"

Ranma began to panic as started using his senses to detect Koga's

presence. However, due to the massive expenditure of energy, his

sixth and seventh senses were extremely weak and he could only

detect things that were no more than five feet away from him. Ranma

stumbled as he tripped over a tree root. Ranma then used his sense of

smell to detect his mentor. Locking in on his scent, Ranma crawled to

where Koga was. When he touched his body, Ranma got a shock as

he used his senses to measure Koga's ki level.

"Master! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sometime later, Ranma and his adopted mother were standing

beside Koga as he lay on the bed in their house. Cologne and

Shampoo were on the other side.

"Master, why didn't you tell me that you were " Ranma's voice

trailed off.

"Dying?" Koga finished in a very weak voice. Koga coughed as

he continued. "I did not want you to worry about me during your

final lessons. I'm proud of you Ranma. You have mastered the Sprit

Beam!"

"Spirit Beam?" Shampoo asked.

Ranma nodded. "Those who practice the Unseen Light Martial

Arts are able to draw power from the mystical realms as well as the

physical realms. Our senses are so sharp that we can locate any

power source and utilize it. But, the Spirit Beam is so draining that I

can't summon it up too often. Right now, I'm so weak that I couldn't

beat Mousse." Ranma then turned to Koga. "Master, I had been

sensing that your ki was fading, but I never suspected this!"

Koga sighed as he replied, "Last year, the doctors and the

healers told me that I had cancer and they gave me about ten months

to live. That is why it was so important that you finished your

training before I passed on. When I leave this world, you will be the

only master of the Unseen Light."

"But Master "

"Do not grieve for me Ranma! I have lived a good life and I have

no regrets. You have surpassed me in the skills that I have taught

you. I know that you will be fine. No teacher could ever be more

proud of his student than I am of you. You have become a man

among men and the son that I never had."

"Oh Master."

In another part of the village, Mousse had come to a decision. It

had been almost a year since Jusenkyo had cursed him, but he had

gotten used to having to turn into a duck with cold water. No, it

wasn't the curse that angered him. It was the one who caused him to

be cursed that got his temper to boiling. Ranma was now considered

a part of the Amazon tribe by all and it seemed that he and Shampoo

had gotten even closer. Also was the fact that Mousse still could not

defeat Ranma, even though he had improved in the Hidden Weapons

style.

No matter what weapon he used against Ranma, the blind boy

would counter it and Mousse would be sucking dirt. It was almost as

if he knew what weapons he was going to use. After seeing that

display of ki energy manipulation, Mousse finally realized that if he

wanted to defeat Ranma and win Shampoo's heart, then he was going

to have to beat Saotome at his own game. He had made up his mind

to petition Koga to train him as he had with Ranma.

If you can use the Hidden Weapons style against me, then why

shouldn't I use your own techniques against you? I will have my

revenge Ranma Saotome and Shampoo will be mine!

That night, Ranma decided to stay by his master's side until Koga

became strong enough to get out of bed. The two spent long hours

in quiet discussion, talking about the future. Eventually, Koga drifted

off to sleep and Ranma soon followed suit in the chair that was set up

beside the bed. As the two slept, Koga's ki energy finally gave out as

his body succumbed to the cancer that ravaged it. At 2:15 am, Koga

had left this world and Ranma became the sole master of the Unseen

Light Martial Arts. When the blind boy awoke early the next day, he

felt a chill wash over him. He began reaching out to detect his

master's ki, but he could find nothing. He slowly walked toward the

bed and knelt beside the bed. He reached out with his fingers and

started feeling the face of the corpse. His sightless eyes began to

flood with tears as his enhanced sense of touch took in every detail

of Koga's lifeless face. Ranma sobbed openly as his mind

constructed an image of what his master looked like, based on what

his fingers were telling him. He committed the image to memory, then

laid his head over crossed arms.

His sobs soon roused his mother Jasmine from her slumber. She

walked over to where her son was crying and saw Koga's lifeless

form. She didn't need to ask what was the matter as she quietly

approached her grieving child and knelt down to embrace him. She

said nothing as Ranma wept.

Later that very same day

"No! He can't be dead!" Mousse shouted at Cologne, who

immediately bopped him on the head with her cane.

"You should learn to talk to your elders with more respect! In any

case, why should you be upset? You never liked him much

anyway."

"But he has to be alive! I'm ready to learn his techniques now!"

"Oh? So NOW you wish to learn? I thought you considered his

skills as weak and not fit to be noticed by the Amazons."

"I changed my mind okay?" Mousse exasperated. "I have seen

the error of my way of thinking and I am ready to become his

student!"

"Hmpf! I know why you want to learn now. You've finally realized

that your Hidden Weapons style is no match for Ranma and you

want to beat him using the same style that he uses! Well, you are too

late! Koga is gone, and Ranma is now heir to all of his secrets! And I

seriously doubt he would agree to train you!"

"It's not fair!" Mousse shouted.

"It's your own fault that you refused to learn sooner. You

thought that your Hidden Weapons techniques would impress my

Shampoo, but they did the opposite. Koga had offered to teach you

the Unseen Light many times and you turned him down repeatedly.

He had only had to ask Ranma once and he accepted. Now Ranma

has become a far greater warrior than you as well as an exceptional

healer. He is a good asset to the village and would be a fitting mate

for my great-granddaughter!"

"Shampoo is mine, not Ranma's!" Mousse roared, which

resulted in another bop on the head by Cologne. "Ow!"

"Shampoo was never yours to begin with. Now, I grow tired of

this discussion. I must see to the preparations for the funeral.

Goodbye Mousse."

By the week's end, Koga's body was placed on an elaborate

funeral pyre and set ablaze. The site was near the place where Ranma

had begun training when he was eight. The blind Saotome had told

Cologne that the spot was a favorite of his former mentor's and she

arranged the funeral to be held there. The Council of Elders as well as

many of the Amazons was present to witness the cremation. Ranma

stood beside Jasmine and Shampoo, his eyes slick with tears as he

listened to the matriarches bid their final farewells to a great warrior.

When the fire had burned itself out, Ranma was given the task of

fulfilling Koga's last request.

The blind boy carried the small urn, which contained the ashes of

his sensei up the slope of a cliff that overlooked the valley of the

Joketsuzoku. Taking a deep breath, he began focusing his ki and let

his aura flare up. Extending his senses to the winds, he opened the

urn and let the ashes scatter themselves to the breeze. Ranma let his

senses flow into the surroundings as he felt his teacher's presence

one final time as Koga became one with nature.

Another week would pass as Ranma went into mourning for the

man who had raised him like the father he never had. He was

everything that Genma could never hope to be. He had treated him

fairly and never used him for personal gain. He had taught him how

to turn his handicap into a boon and helped him achieve mastery in

the martial arts that he could have never attained under his real

father. Jasmine and Koga had sheltered him and protected him from

Genma and his influence for more than eight years.

It was this last thought that made Ranma come to a decision.

"You're leaving the village?" Jasmine asked in surprise.

Ranma nodded. "Mother, you and the tribe have been good to

me, but I can't stay here forever. I can't ignore the outside world,

especially since my senses are so attuned to it. I have to go out there.

It's I'm not sure how to describe it, but I feel that I have to

experience the world out there. The Council is letting a few of the

others to study in Japan and I've asked to go with them."

Jasmine shook her head. "Koga did tell me that you had a

wanderlust in you when he took you to school."

"It's not just that Mother. It's not that I don't appreciate you and

Koga for protecting me from that no-good father of mine, but I can't

keep hiding from him. I have to face him sooner or later. Also, even

though you're the best mother anyone's ever asked for, I want to

know who my real mother is and what's she's like."

"I see." Jasmine's face took on a sorrowful, yet understanding

look as she said, "Ranma, you have been my treasure these past

eight years and I suppose that it's just natural that you would one

day leave the nest. I will not try to stop you Ranma. You have already

proven that you are capable of handling yourself. Just promise me

this. Don't forget about me?"

"Never Mother!" Ranma took Jasmine into his arms and held

her tight. "I'll write to you as often as I can!"

Jasmine smiled as tears ran down her cheeks. "Just remember

Ranma, you'll always have a home here and a place in my heart!"

Ranma smiled as he reached up with his hands and began feeling

his mother's face with his fingers. He traced every line and the texture

of her skin. He noted that she had gained a few new wrinkles but her

ki was still as strong as ever. He committed his adopted mother's face

to memory.

By the end of the month, Ranma hefted his backpack over his

shoulder and boarded the boat that would take him to Japan. He

would be traveling with a few other Amazons, including Shampoo.

The top fighters and most promising of his generation were given the

opportunity to study abroad. Fortunately, Mousse was denied the

chance to come along. The only way that a male could be given this

opportunity was if he happened to be the best fighter. Mousse was

no longer the top male fighter of the village. Ranma had taken that

spot. As the families of the group bid their farewells, Cologne nodded

to the skipper to cast off. The boat slowly began chugging its way to

the Land of the Rising Sun.

Fighting Blind

Ranma 1/2 and the gang are from the fertile imagination of Rumiko

Takahashi. Please don't sue me. I'm poor, etc, etc

" ": Chinese language

: Thoughts

Chapter 3

Blind Man's Bluff

A small group was making its way toward the gates of a high

school in the district of Nerima. The group consisted of an extremely

aged woman, three young girls and a teenage boy. The aged woman,

who happened to be hopping on a staff that was three times her

height, addressed the group as they made their way to Furinkan

High.

"Now I want you all to be on your best behavior while we are here.

You have all earned the right to be here and given the opportunity to

learn about the outside world. I will not tolerate any blood feuds or

vendettas, save for challenges. The council had decided that any

matter pertaining to our Amazon Laws would be interpreted at MY

discretion. Since I am the highest authority of our tribe in Japan, I will

have the final word on it. Is that understood?"

"Yes Elder Cologne." The group responded.

"Oh, and I would prefer if you would all speak Japanese, since we

will be living here." Cologne gestured to Ranma. "Do not hesitate to

ask Ranma or me about things you do not understand."

"Great-grandmother?"

"Yes, Shampoo?"

The purple-haired girl pointed to the school uniform she was

wearing. "Do we have to wear these clothes? Shampoo feels that it

does not suit an Amazon." Lilac and Perfume nodded. Ranma tugged

at the collar of his dark blue outfit.

Cologne nodded. Shampoo's Japanese had gotten much better

since Ranma had started tutoring her. She still had a habit of referring

to herself in the third person, but her sentence structure was not as

broken. "Yes child. I'm afraid that your regular clothes are a bit too

revealing for such a place."

"Ranma never minded what I wore." Shampoo protested lightly

with smile.

Cologne snorted in amusement. "In Ranma's case, he wouldn't

object to you in your birthday suit!"

The group snickered a bit at the private joke then continued on.

As they came to the front gates, they were a bit surprised to see a

mob of school boys begin to gather at the front of the main building.

Normally, this wouldn't be an unusual sight. What was unusual was

the fact that nearly all of them were brandishing various sports

equipment, practice weapons or some other kind of blunt or sharp

objects. Many of the boys belonged to the numerous sports teams or

martial arts clubs. As the crowd grew, the Amazons stopped at the

front gate to watch the spectacle.

In Ranma's case however, he was already assessing the situation

with his enhanced senses. Cologne noted this and asked, "What is it

Ranma?"

Ranma did not answer for a long moment as he took in every bit of

information his physical and metaphysical senses were collecting.

Finally, he responded. "Hmmm. I count about forty boys. Judging

from their emotions, they're expecting to ambush someone. Either that

or they intend to hit someone head on. Lots of them are breathing

hard and are out of shape. The amount of ki energies I'm feeling is

relatively low, almost nonexistent in just about everyone in that

crowd. I think that the entire lot has very little to no skill in the martial

arts. Except maybe for four of them near the back of the group."

Cologne looked over the rear of the mob and noted that two boys

were dressed in white gi outfits, signifying that they were from the

karate club. The other one was dressed in the practice outfit of the

kendo club, complete with body pads and facemask. The last one was

wearing the garb of a sumo wrestler. She could also sense that they

had slightly higher ki levels than the rest. "Very good Ranma. What

else can you sense?"

"Whoops! My mistake! Make that five boys. There's one who's

hiding behind a tree forty paces from the right side of the front of

the main building. He's got the highest skill level of the lot. I sense

arrogance and unbelievable confidence. Judging by his ki level

however, he wouldn't be able to beat a trained thirteen-year old in the

village. Heck, I would say that even Ling Ling and Lung Lung could

beat him."

Cologne then turned her gaze to where Ranma had indicated and

sure enough, there was someone hiding behind the tree. The boy

appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen and was dressed in

samurai garb. He held a wooden bokken in one hand and a red rose in

the other. She then gauged the boy's fighting potential and had to

agree with Ranma's assessment.

Ranma then turned his head toward two approaching figures that

were running toward the gates. He noted the increase in hormone

activity in the mob of boys and decided that this was what they were

waiting for. "Step back everybody. This is going to be messy."

As the Amazons watched in disbelief, the drama unfolded itself.

To the newcomers, they were confused at the spectacle. To Akane

Tendo however, it was just merely part of the same old routine.

"Akane Tendo! I love you!" WHAM!

"Please go out with me!" POW!

"This is for you!" CRASH!

"Akane!" WHAP!

"Let me " CLONG!

The youngest daughter of Soun Tendo blasted through her

would-be suitors like a rhino on a rampage. The boys would only get

one or two seconds to attack her before they were beaten into the

pavement. As the battle raged, Ranma made a few sideline comments

to Cologne as his senses gauged her fighting ability.

"Judging by the way she's exerting herself, she's relying more on

brute strength than skill. I can feel her anger from here and it's making

her sloppy." A big bruiser suddenly grabbed Akane from behind, but

she gave him an uppercut to the jaw to get him to release her. "She

left herself wide open for that one. Her defense is lousy." A tennis

player swung his racket at her head. Akane barely managed to duck it

and retaliate with a roundhouse kick. "Reflexes need work. Her

reaction time is too slow." Akane then sidestepped the sumo wrestler

and tripped him up. She then dodged several more attempts to beat

her by members of the volleyball team. "Hmmm, the only reason why

she's holding out is because those guys aren't attacking as a group.

They're all getting in each other's way."

"Be that it may, this does not concern us Ranma." Cologne replied

as she began leading her group toward the school. "Now come along.

I need to speak with the registration office and it wouldn't do for the

four of you to be late on your first day of class."

It was at this time that Akane beat off the last of her unwanted

admirers. She stood amid a landscape of bruised and battered

adolescents. As she wiped her brow, she said angrily to her sister

Nabiki, who happened to be standing nearby, holding Akane's

bookbag. "I wish that these jerks would just lay off!"

"I thought by now that you'd be used to this kind of thing sis."

Nabiki commented as she handed Akane back her bag. She noticed a

small group heading toward them. "Well, looks like we got some new

faces here."

Nabiki took in the group with her usual, calculating look. The three

young girls were all dressed in the school uniforms for Furinkan

High's female students. One girl had long purple hair and had a

couple buns near the top of her head. The second girl had dark hair

that was tied in a loose ponytail that went down to her waist. The

third girl had red hair that was done up in an elaborate braid that was

as long as the first girl's ponytail. The end of her hair was tied in a

bright gold ribbon. At the front of the group, was an aged woman,

only about two feet in height and was hopping along on a long,

gnarled, wooden staff.

Nabiki noted that the three girls were quite beautiful and emanated

an aura of intensity. Many of the boys who were sprawled on the

ground became entranced by their looks. That is, those who could

get their swollen eyes to open. However, what really caught her

attention was the lone male member of the group. Nabiki wasn't the

only one though. The handsome stranger who had just arrived also

captivated the numerous female students who had been watching

Akane beat up the daily mob.

Living under the care of Jasmine had caused Ranma to grow up

into a very attractive male. The problems of malnutrition and poor

health care under Genma were nonexistent, thanks to his adopted

mother's skills as a healer. Ranma was tall and his clothes seemed to

mold over the lean, muscular frame that his master Koga had spent

eight years in refining. The school uniform did little to hide the

definition of his muscles, especially in his chest, arms, legs and rear.

His hair was also done up in a loose ponytail that went down to

midback. The special herbal shampoo that he used made his hair

luxuriant and silky. His unseeing eyes still reflected that unique

shade of blue, which resembled twin pools of liquid sapphire. His

face was well defined and contained sharp, angular lines that made

him appear far older and wiser than his actual age. He walked with a

casual grace that bespoke of a gentle nature, yet also one of

confidence and power. There was no doubt in Nabiki's mind or the

minds of the other girls. Ranma was a hunk.

Just as the group came to where Akane was standing, a small

object came darting toward her. She deftly caught it, then frowned

when she saw it was a rose. The group also stopped when they saw

the boy that Ranma had detected earlier step out from his hiding

place.

"Truly a boorish lot, these cretins who dare thought they could

win thy hand Akane Tendo."

Akane let off a depressed and disgusted sigh. "Kuno, I don't have

time for this! I'm going to be late!" Akane then tried to step around

the kendoist, but is stopped when Kuno holds out his bokken in

front of her.

"Wouldst thou not spar with me, my love? Must I once again

prove my worthiness to you? Should we not show all these peasants

that I am the only one worthy to receive thy favors? Very well, if you

can defeat me, then I will allow you to date with " It was then that

he noticed Shampoo, Perfume and Lilac. "Hold! What loveliness do

mine eyes see today? Ah! The gods have seen fit to reward the great

and noble Kuno with not one, but four goddesses this day! What are

thy names beauteous ones? I would know them so that I may shower

you with the glory that is my myself!"

By now, the Amazons were getting a little more than annoyed at

the nonsense that this pompous kendoist was spouting out. The fact

that he was making overtures toward them only irritated them even

more. They already had their sights set on Ranma and in their minds;

this wannabe samurai couldn't compare to the blind martial artist.

They all gave him a look of disgust and ignored him completely as

they started toward the main school building.

Kuno of course, was too dense to see that he was being given the

cold shoulder. He promptly put himself in front of the group and

spread his arms. "Will you not give thy names to the greatness that

you see before you? Perhaps an introduction is in order? Yes! It is

proper to give one's own name first!" He then puffed out his chest

and began his introduction. "I am the undefeated captain of this

school's kendo club! The rising new star of the high school fencing

world! My name alone strikes fear in those who hear of it! My peers

call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" At this time, he raised

his bokken to the heavens and a bolt of lightning crackled in the

distance. He then finished his introduction. "Tatewaki Kuno, age

seventeen."

Hmpf! What a showoff! Cologne thought.

Behind the so-called Blue Thunder, crowds of students were

watching out the second and third floor windows of the school. As

soon as Kuno had finished his introduction, they began to gossip

among themselves.

"Blue Thunder? That's a new one."

"Yeah. Last week he was calling himself the Shooting Star."

"Who are those three babes?"

"Forget those girls. I want to know who that hunk is!"

"He's dreamy!"

Ranma sighed as he was also a bit put out by Kuno. To him,

Kuno's mouth hurt him even worse, due to his enhanced hearing.

Sensing the displeasure in his companions and in Akane, he decided

to speak for all of them. Motioning for the others to step back, he

came forward and addressed the insane kendoist. "Listen up. It's kind

of obvious that my cousin and her friends aren't interested. This girl

here doesn't want you either." Ranma gestured to Akane.

"Hey! I can speak for myself!" Akane retorted angrily. Just who

does this stupid boy think he is?

Ranma shrugged. "In any case, my friends and I are new here and

we really don't want to be late, so if you'll just step aside "

Unfortunately for Ranma, Kuno was about as blind, (no pun

intended) to the truth as Mousse was. He of course denied all

overwhelming evidence. "You there! How may a common peasant

such as yourself, presume to know the feelings of a fair maiden when

she is in the glorious presence of one such as I? I will not stand for

this insinuation that I, Tatewaki Kuno am not the greatest gift that

the gods could bestow on the lovely Akane Tendo! Could it be that

you wish to woo her yourself?"

"Excuse me?"

"So that's it! You insult my prowess as a great lover, as part of a

dastardly plan to undermine my efforts to win Akane's heart. With

myself out of the way, you hope to gain her affections! I will not

stand for it! Have at thee!" With this form of logic, (if one could call it

that) he swung his bokken at Ranma's head.

Ranma had long sensed Kuno's attack and backflipped out of the

way. As he landed, he tossed his bookbag to Shampoo and reached

behind him. He withdrew a small metal cylinder that was about eight

inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter. He held it out

in front of him and focused his ki into it. Instantly, the metal cylinder

made a strange sound (vreet!) and extended into a fighting staff that

was five feet long. Ranma took a stance while twirling the weapon.

"Now that was uncalled for Kuno! I don't know how you came to that

stupid conclusion, but I won't stand by and let you use my head for

target practice!" He then gripped his staff in front of him. "I'm Ranma

Saotome, formally of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes

Martial Arts! As a healer and warrior of the Nieuchiezu, as well as a

representative of the Unseen Light Martial Arts, I accept your

challenge!"

Akane's eyes widened as she heard this revelation. Anything

Goes?

By this time, the boys in which Akane had defeated earlier had

picked themselves up and headed into the school. They didn't want

to be anywhere near the battle zone. Akane however was transfixed

by the scene and didn't move. The revelation that someone else knew

the Anything Goes Martial Arts, plus the fact that he was facing off

against Kuno was too unbelievable.

Cologne's eyes narrowed as she looked at Ranma's weapon. She

had expected him to bring out his usual wooden Bo Staff. The fact

that she also detected a huge amount of controlled ki being emitted

from him when he made the metal rod elongate only furthered her

interest. To her eyes, the staff was made out of a single piece of metal

that somehow grew in length as if it were alive. She did not see him

press any hidden switches, nor did she hear any telltale sounds of

anything mechanical. Her mouth turned up slightly in a small smile as

she thought. Hmmm. Now that's interesting I'll have to ask Ranma

about it after he dispatches this fool. That weapon may be another

one of Koga's secrets.

Kuno smirked as he assessed his opponent. This fool doesn't

know that he is up against the unparalleled might of the great

Tatewaki Kuno. This will be too easy!

On the second and third floor, the students leaned forward at the

windows to get a better view of the imminent battle between the

newcomer and the best fighter of Furinkan High. Nabiki Tendo had

already gotten inside of the school as was busy taking down bets.

She was giving Ranma the odds of twenty to one. Many of the girls

who thought Ranma was attractive moaned as they saw him face off

against Kuno. The majorities of the male student population had

become obsessed with defeating Akane Tendo and were therefore

ignoring the rest of the girls. The females were hoping at a chance at

this new boy, but if he was going up against Kuno, then all hope was

lost. Or so they thought.

"So you assume to face off against the unmatched prowess of the

Blue Thunder of Furinkan High? You must have grown tired of

living!"

"Shut up and fight Kuno! Unless you intend to bore me into

submission!"

"Then have at thee peasant!" Kuno charged at his adversary, his

bokken raised high.

Ranma's seventh sense was already giving him an image of his foe

and he reacted accordingly. It would have been a simple matter to

quickly knock out his opponent with pressure points, but the Unseen

Light martial artist wanted to test out his new battle staff in combat.

Stepping back a foot, he swung his staff in a reverse arc, then

crouched down low. Just as Kuno's bokken began its downswing,

Ranma moved with amazing speed and got within his defenses. One

end of his staff came up and knocked Kuno in the chin, causing him

to stagger back. Before Kuno could recover, Ranma lashed out with

his staff again and gave a hard jab to the kendoist's kidneys. Kuno

went down. However, instead of pressing his advantage, he stepped

back for a few feet and waited.

Kuno staggered back to his feet and snarled. "Why you low-bred

cur!" He then slashed at his opponent, but Ranma simply jumped

over the bokken and with one free hand, he pointed at Kuno's

forehead. An instant later, he spun around and delivered a reverse

spin kick that nailed his foe in the temple. Kuno was knocked down

again.

Angrily, the self-centered egomaniac came back up and then

delivered another series of slashes, thrusts and swings. The blind

martial artist proved to be too agile for him to hit. His sixth sense

warned him of each attack and his seventh sense gave him a detailed

image in his mind of every maneuver. Ranma used a variety of

sidestepping, ducking and leaping moves to evade every technique

used against him. As a result, the surrounding area was torn apart as

Kuno's bokken split the pavement, sliced though a nearby tree and

punched holes in the front wall.

He's so fast! Akane thought. He's not bad! For a moment, she

had the feeling that this newcomer might be even better than she

might be, but she quickly dismissed the foolish notion. Of course, I

could do that too! This guy's just lucky! I'm the best martial artist

here!

He's good! Kuno thought as he lashed out again only to miss.

He may prove to be errk! His train of thought was abruptly

stopped when Ranma hopped up and delivered a snap kick to Kuno's

face, causing his body to straighten up. The wannabe samurai barely

realized what was happening when Ranma then delivered a blow to

the top of his head with his staff, making him bend over. Ranma then

pointed his staff at Kuno's stomach and focused his ki into it again.

"Extend."

Amazingly, the staff then grew to five times its length, driving into

Kuno's belly and drove him back, slamming him against the school's

wall. A large depression was formed as the cement crumbled,

knocking the wind out of Kuno's sails. The blind martial artist then

refocused his ki.

"Reduce."

The pole shortened itself back down to its five-foot length. Great!

It worked! With it no longer pinning him to the wall, Kuno slumped

down. He shook his head and staggered forward, unwilling to admit

that this upstart was winning. Running on adrenaline, he made

another series of sword techniques at his opponent, but Ranma

dodged them all yet again.

As the battle raged on, Cologne became even more interested in

Ranma's new weapon. Very impressive! The other Amazons were

also amazed and so was the rest of the Furinkan student population.

After dodging the last of Kuno's attacks, Ranma retaliated by

dropkicking his enemy's face and then followed through with another

blow to the head with his staff. Kuno was soon bending over and

just as he came down, Ranma did a roundhouse kick and sent him

sprawling. As Kuno went down, Ranma held up his staff above his

head with one hand and began focusing his senses on his

surroundings. He smiled as he took in all the data and then focused

his ki into his weapon, causing it to shorten into a baton of about a

foot and a half in length.

Kuno was in major pain. No one had ever given him this much of a

beating before, except for Akane. Just as he was getting up when he

saw Ranma's staff suddenly lose more than three-quarters of its

length. Thinking that this was an opportunity, he rushed forward,

intending to give him a vicious slash to his head. Then Ranma did the

unthinkable. He threw his weapon away, then just stood in a neutral

stance with his arms crossed.

What's he doing?! Akane thought.

The blind master of the Unseen Light smiled as he sensed Kuno's

charge. However, he wasn't the least bit worried as he used his

seventh sense to track the flight path of his baton. He had hurled it

forward, but he had not aimed it directly at Kuno. Instead, the metal

projectile shot like a miniature missile and went by Kuno, missing him

by more than three feet. However, it then ricocheted off the fallen tree

that Kuno had cut down earlier, bounced off the school's flagpole,

then rebounded off the main building's wall before its angle of

trajectory sent it right back toward Kuno.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Kuno screamed as he raised

his bokken over his head to deliver the final blow to end this fight. It

was then that he felt something rush over him and heard the

distinctive sound of something being sliced. It was then that he felt

something hard hit the top of his head, then make a dull thud on the

ground beside him. He froze in mid-strike as he looked down. His

eyes widened as he saw what was lying near his feet. It was the

wooden blade of his bokken! He then looked up and saw that he was

now clutching a useless handgrip. His gaze then came toward his

opponent who was absently twirling his baton, which he had deftly

caught on its return trip.

"Well Kuno, it seems that you have a LITTLE skill with that stupid

sword of yours. Now let's find out if you have any skill without it."

Ranma then made his baton shorten back to original eight-inch

length, put it away, then went into a stance. It was at that time that

dark storm clouds began to form and the skies became darker. I

guess it's time to end this. I really should have wrapped this up

quicker!

Kuno was at bit of a loss of what to do next, as he had absolutely

no training in unarmed combat. In fact, he was still in the same mid-

strike position as Ranma rushed forward to finish the fight. With

lightning speed, Ranma delivered a series of shiatsu pressure points

to his upper arms, legs and torso. He even froze the muscles to his

mouth as he no desire to hear any more of Kuno's stupidity. The

kendoist became as rigid as a statue as his major skeletal muscles

locked up.

Ranma smiled as he sensed the Kuno's battle aura die down. He

then added insult to injury as he walked behind Kuno and gave a firm

push with an index finger to the back of his head.

"Timber!"

Kuno fell flat on his face, still frozen in place. Even though he

couldn't move his mouth, he still managed a slight, unintelligible

sound that was a cross between a groan and a whimper.

It was then that there was a moment of silence. You could hear a

pin drop in the schoolyard. Then a loud cheer, accompanied by

applause was heard. The students began whooping and shouting as

they had just witnessed the utter defeat of Kuno.

"All right! He did it!"

"Who is that guy?"

"He's cute!"

"Cute nothing! He's gorgeous!"

"Pay up Nabiki!"

On the schoolyard, his fellow Amazons was congratulating

Ranma.

"You did great Ranma!" Shampoo smiled as she gave him a hug.

Cologne hopped up to him and said, "Very good Ranma. You have

defended the honor of our tribe. Although, I didn't expect the fight to

last that long."

"Sorry about that. I wanted to test out my new battle staff. Now

that I have, I don't have to worry about him any more." He gestured

with a thumb to the fallen kendoist.

"By the way Ranma, may I see that new weapon of yours?"

Ranma shrugged as he handed her the small metal rod. Cologne

then scrutinized it, but could find nothing out of the ordinary about

it. It appeared to be just a solid metal cylinder that weighed just less

than six ounces. She could see no mechanical devices, no moving

parts or hidden switches. She could however, detect the residual ki

energies that Ranma had used to make it expand or shrink. She tried

to focus her own ki into it, but could not make it change its length.

She then looked up at Ranma and said, "Very interesting. I take it

that this was another one of Koga's secrets?"

Ranma nodded as he took back his weapon, focused his ki into it

and made it elongate into its five-foot length to demonstrate. He then

shrunk it backdown to its eight-inch size and put it away. "Master

Koga taught the technique to me a couple of weeks before he died. I

made it during the trip to Japan. It does have some more uses than

my old Bo Staff."

"We'll talk more about it later. For now, we must the four of you

into class. I'm afraid that you three are going to be late because of

this. Come along."

The group passed both Kuno and Akane, who was still standing

in disbelief at what had occurred. As they entered the building,

Shampoo turned to Ranma and said, "What about Kuno?"

"Don't worry. The pressure points I used will wear off in about an

hour."

"He wasn't much of an opponent, was he?"

Ranma smirked as he said, "Nah! I could have taken him with my

eyes closed!"

The Amazons all shared another chuckle at the private joke.

Outside the school, Akane finally snapped out of her shocked

state and hurried her way into the school. As soon as she entered the

hallway, the skies began to open up and the rains began to fall,

drenching the still frozen Kuno.

Curse you Saotome! I, Tatewaki Kuno shall see to it that you will

suffer the awesome wrath of the Blue Thunder!

A few meters away, a large form was hunched behind a tree that

was near the front schoolyard. It was covered in black and white fur,

which was being soaked by the falling rain. It, or rather he had

witnessed the entire battle.

Hmmm. Getting that son of mine back may be trickier than I

thought! The boy's always with those damned Amazons and it looks

like he's gotten better too! No matter! I'll just get Tendo! He'll help me

after I've explained everything. Once we get Ranma to the dojo, then I

can just kiss all of my worries goodbye, and be set for life! Nothing

can go wrong!

Genma Saotome then made a beeline toward the Tendo Dojo. In

the distance, a flash of lightning crackled, almost as if it was a sign

for things to come.

In one of the classrooms, the attentions of the male and female

students were fixated on the four newcomers who were standing at

the front.

"Class, we have four new students at Furinkan High." The teacher

gestured to the three girls. "This is Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume." He

then gestured to the one boy. "And this is Ranma Saotome. They

have just come from China so let's give them all a 'Nihao' welcome."

The classroom began whispering among themselves.

"Wow! What a bunch of babes!"

"Man! Maybe I can get a date with that cute one at the end!"

"Oooh! Look at that hunk!"

"He's dreamy!"

"I wonder if he's attached?"

"Class settle down." The teacher called out. The room was

immediately silenced. "Even though they are new here, that does not

excuse them for being late." He turned to the four. "You will go out

with Miss Tendo and stand in the hall."

Near the front of the class, Akane growled as she heard her name.

Darn! It's that Ranma's entire fault that I was late!

In another class, Nabiki Tendo was a bit irritated. Although most

of the betters had placed their money on Kuno winning, the upset

that Ranma had caused had ended in large payoffs for the few that

wagered on him. The net result was that she and her factors had

come out with only a slight profit margin.

Hmmmm there's more to this Ranma Saotome than meets the

eye. I'm going to have to keep track of this one. She turned to one

of her flunkies and gave her the assignment to keep Ranma and the

Amazons under surveillance.

It was then that she looked out the window and saw that Kuno

was still lying on his face in the front school yard. Rain was coming

down pretty hard and the middle Tendo daughter sighed as she

asked the teacher to be excused to go drag Kuno in. It wouldn't do

for her biggest income generator to drown.

Ranma and Shampoo were soon standing outside the class on one

side while Lilac and Perfume stood with Akane on the other side.

Each was holding a bucket of water in each hand. Outside the school,

the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Akane was a bit miffed at

having to stand outside with a boy and she didn't waste time in

voicing out her displeasure.

"This all your fault that I was late!"

The three Amazons girls looked at Akane with irritated

expressions.

"What you talking about? Is not Ranma's fault you no go in." Lilac

interjected.

"Is true." Perfume added. "No one stop you. Why you no go in?"

Akane became even more angrier as she replied, "Well, why didn't

you three go in yourselves?"

Shampoo became very annoyed at this girl's hostility toward her

cousin. "That's because we're Amazons. Ranma accepted that stupid

boy's challenge and it is our duty to witness it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane said in a not so nice

tone.

Meanwhile, Ranma was already sensing the hostility level rise and

tried to settle things down. "Girls, please don't argue. You really

didn't have to stay and see me fight that idiot Kuno. Cologne was

already there and she acknowledged that I won." He then turned to

Akane. "I'm really sorry that you got punished for being late but I

don't really see how getting mad at me is going to help."

"Oh go soak your head! " Akane then mumbled in a quiet but

angry whisper. "Boys are nothing but perverts, especially Kuno!"

"Why you call Ranma pervert? He no do anything to you!" Lilac

said as she tensed up.

"Because all boys are perverts!" Akane hissed back. "They all

want the same thing and Kuno started this whole mess!"

Ranma didn't like to be called something without good reason, but

the last statement caught his interest. "Excuse me, what was that?

Kuno started what?"

Akane simmered down a bit as she replied, "Early on, Kuno made

this dumb speech that if a boy wanted to date me, he'd have to defeat

me in combat."

Ranma smirked as he remembered Amazon Law number forty-

three, subsection five. "So that's the reason those boys were

attacking you?"

Akane nodded. "Kuno also attacks me in the end. I beat him every

time of course, since no one's better than me!" She said the last bit

with pride, as she knew that she had no equal in the martial arts in all

of Nerima.

Lilac and Perfume were about to disagree when Ranma interrupted.

"I don't think so. Judging from my fight with him, and from what I saw

of your fighting style, I'd say that he was better than you are. If you

beat him every day, then I'd guess that he holds back a lot."

The three girls nodded in agreement as they too had come to the

same conclusion.

Akane began to fume at this comment. "Oh yeah? Well don't

underestimate me! Why don't one of you try me on for real

sometime?"

Ranma shrugged as replied in a quiet tone. "Who knows? Maybe I

will." Ranma had no qualms against fighting the opposite sex. Living

with the Amazons for over eight years had taught him that calling

women the 'weaker sex' was an easy way of getting into a heap of

trouble. He had sparred with the warrior women and considered them

as equals. If they were willing to dish out pain, then he had to

respond in kind. They expected him to fight back. They demanded it.

It made them respect him all the more when he did so. The Amazons

were proud of their status as great warriors and treating them like

they were weak was a sure-fire way of shortening one's lifespan.

Ranma was about to say something else when the hallway echoed

with an angry shout. The Amazons and Akane turned their heads to

the sound and saw Kuno rushing toward them with a full head of

steam. He threw a bucketful of dirty mop water in Ranma's direction.

The blind boy and the three Amazons nimbly jumped out of the way.

Akane barely managed to evade as the water splashed over the floor.

"Ranma Saotome! Prepare to feel the wrath of the Blue Thunder!"

Kuno yelled as he took out a fresh bokken from within his samurai

robes.

The Amazons landed behind Ranma as Shampoo asked, "What is

he so mad about?"

Ranma smirked as he pointed to Kuno's forehead. "I guess he

finally noticed the little message I gave him during our fight."

"What message?" She looked up at Kuno's forehead and saw the

words 'World's Biggest Dope' etched in Chinese. "When did that

happen?" Shampoo thought back to the fight, then recalled the time

when Ranma pointed a finger at him. "Oh, Shampoo remember now!

Very funny!" She started laughing and a minute later, her fellow

Amazons joined her.

Kuno was not amused. "You will pay for your insult against my

personage!" Kuno then began swinging his sword at Ranma. It had

been embarrassing enough that he had to pay Nabiki 5,000 yen to

drag him into the school because he was paralyzed. He also had to

pay her another 10,000 yen when he discovered the phrase on his

forehead and Nabiki had a Chinese dictionary on hand. "Die you low-

bred cur!"

With Ranma's enhanced senses, Kuno's strikes were evaded with

ease. Dropping his buckets to the floor, he began leading Kuno

toward an open window near the end of the hallway. When he got

near it, he smiled and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Come on Kuno, take your best shot!"

"That I shall!" Kuno slashed at his foe, intending to split him in

twain.

However, this was not to be as Ranma stabbed forth with a hand

and extended a finger. As soon as the digit made contact with the

wooden blade, it glowed for a brief moment, then exploded into a fine

cloud of sawdust. Kuno yelped as his weapon was suddenly

shortened and he found himself still moving forward. With that same

hand, Ranma grabbed him by the front of his robes and tossed his

poetry-spouting adversary out the window.

"Go soak your head!"

"Wait! This is the THIRD FLOOR!" Akane came running toward

them.

Ranma shrugged as said, "Don't worry, the pool will break his fall."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

SPLASH!

Shampoo, Lilac, and Perfume all leaned out the window and sure

enough, there was Kuno, floating face down in the water. A moment

later, he came sputtering up and thrashed about, screaming "Curse

you, Ranma Saotome!"

Shampoo looked at Ranma and asked. "How did you know there

was a pool down there?"

The blind martial artist simply grinned and said nothing. The

purple-haired girl then realized that her question was a rhetorical one

and said. "Never mind."

Fighting Blind

" " Chinese Language

: Thoughts

Chapter 4

Settling In

Ranma Saotome was sitting under the shade of a large tree near

the baseball diamond and was currently enjoying his lunch. It had

been a busy morning during his first day at school. He had been

attacked twice by Tatewaki Kuno, who was still after him for the

message he had inscribed on the kendoist's forehead. The blind

martial artist had easily defeated him both times. The first time was by

slam-dunking him into one of the basketball hoops at the gym. The

second time, Kuno was foolish enough to charge at him at the same

place he had been at earlier. The insane Blue Thunder ended up in

the pool again.

Akane Tendo had also been bothering him throughout the

morning. Rumors had been spreading around the school that Ranma

was better martial artist than she was and she took it very personally.

She prided herself that no one was better and she was determined to

prove it. He didn't like the way she was calling him a pervert and all

those other nasty names, just because he was a boy. To him, Akane

was nothing more than a spoiled, self-centered brat that couldn't face

up to the truth that the universe wasn't centered on her. It didn't help

matters as all the attention she usually got from the student

population had begun to decline as the interest was shifted toward

him and his sister Amazons. The boys were practically drooling over

Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume. The girl population had become fixated

on him and Ranma had some difficulty trying to find a quiet spot to

eat. They all wanted to share their lunches with him and though he

was flattered, he politely turned them down. This did not go

unnoticed by Akane as she saw his innocence as an act of some

perverted womanizer.

As he was finishing up his lunch, his enhanced senses detected

three familiar ki energies approaching him and smiled as the warrior

females sat down beside him.

"Hey cousin! How was class?"

Shampoo frowned a bit at the word 'cousin.' Even after eight

years, Ranma still only considered her as a close family member and

she had become a little frustrated that he didn't think of her as

anything more. Like many other girls in the village, she had dreamed

of snaring the handsome and talented young master of the Unseen

Light as her husband. She had reminded him many times that there

wasn't any true blood relation between them. With a small sigh, she

put on a smile and replied in Japanese. "Class was okay. We all made

some new friends and many girls have been asking about you."

The blind Saotome blushed, and said in a slightly nervous voice.

"Uhhhh yeah. I noticed."

"Ranma is very popular!" Lilac added while she gazed longingly at

the finely detailed muscles of his chest. The school uniform was just

tight enough.

"Everyone want to know about Ranma!" Perfume said as her eyes

also began undressing him.

The sole heir to Koga's legacy could feel the emotions of his three

friends and began to get a little more uncomfortable. He had been

picking up the same signals by virtually every girl who had

approached him. Although his mother Jasmine had already educated

him on the 'facts of life,' he was still a bit embarrassed about the

whole thing. He decided that a little music would help him calm down

and took out his flute from his schoolbag.

"Oh! You play for us, yes?" Perfume asked in an excited voice as

she clapped her hands. The other two Amazons smiled in

anticipation. They too enjoyed the wonderful music that Ranma

could produce.

Ranma nodded as he held up the instrument to his mouth. The

new flute had been a gift from his old buddy Razor, the weaponsmith.

After helping him in the forge so many times, the blade-maker had

decided to reward him by fashioning a new instrument. The flute was

about eighteen inches in length and was made of the purest silver. Its

simple, straightforward design reflected the blind boy's personality.

With this new flute, Ranma could create tunes and melodies that put

him on a par with Beethoven, Bach, Strauss and other great

composers.

The silver flute reflected the light of the noonday sun, which

caught the eyes of Akane and two of her friends, Sayuri and Yuka,

who happened to be sitting at a nearby lunch table. The Tendo girl

was somewhat annoyed that her two companions had been ogling at

the new boy from afar. Boys were nothing but perverts after all. She

had been steadily been building up steam ever since Ranma and the

Amazons had arrived. The girls would go on about how strong and

handsome he was, while the boys would fawn over the three Chinese

females. As a result, Akane had been given less and less attention

and was almost forgotten. Not that she would admit it, but she had

been enjoying the fact that she was the most popular girl in school.

Why else would those mobs of boys chase her and try to defeat her

for a date?

"Honestly you two!" Akane said angrily. "He's not that great!"

"What do you mean Akane?" Yuka asked, not taking her eyes off

Ranma. "He's cute, he's strong and he's so dreamy!"

"Uh huh!" Sayuri agreed with enthusiasm. "He's so polite and

he's a lot better than that mob you always face every morning. He

can fight and he doesn't go on and on like upperclassman Kuno.

With all the other boys after you, it's been pretty hard for the rest of

us girls to get any dates!"

Akane snorted. "Who needs boys? They're nothing but stupid

perverts! This guy's no different than the rest of them!"

"Sounds to me like you're jealous of the new guy and those

Amazons." Yuka said in a slightly smug tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh come on now Akane." Sayuri said. "We've seen you get mad

every time one of the other girls mentions Ranma's name. We also

saw you get angry whenever the boys start talking about the

Amazons. Admit it Akane. You're jealous because you're not the

center of attention anymore and that these new people might be

better than you in the martial arts."

"I am not!" Akane denied. "Just wait and see! Things will be back

to normal in a few days and " The rest of her sentence was left

unfinished as she heard a sound unlike anything she had heard

before.

When a musician puts his heart and soul into his work, it is said

that the music takes on special qualities. However, with Ranma, that

old saying is taken to a new level. Ranma's training in the Unseen

Light had also made him into an empathic individual, in which he

could actually transmit the mood he was feeling. Using the music as a

medium, he could actually cause joy, sadness and a whole range of

emotions in others without them even realizing it. Ranma's senses

have been enhanced to a point in which they operated far beyond the

physical realm. His abilities utilized his ki in ways undreamed of. As

he began playing his flute, his senses focused his inner energies into

each and every note, making them sound in their purest forms. By

extending his senses outward, the sounds began riding the waves of

ki, radiating in all directions and was absorbed by every living thing

around him.

It wasn't long before the entire school began to feel the effects of

the haunting music. Students stopped in their daily routines to listen

in on the melody. They could actually feel their spirits being lifted

from the boredom of the class and their tired bodies seemed to

become invigorated with new energies. Frustrations evaporated and

everything seemed to be right with the world. Headaches and

migraines were instantly relieved. The teachers were given a

welcomed respite from the daily tension of their jobs. They could

actually feel their stress levels decline as they listened in. It seemed

as if the music was saturating every cell of their being and re-

energizing them. Despite the fact that some people were behind thick

walls or far from the baseball diamond, the music was still being heard

by all in Furinkan High.

Ranma's playing was also having some interesting effects on

certain things as well. Dr. Resuka, the botany teacher, was about to

throw away a dying fern in the small greenhouse behind the school.

Just as he began hearing the music, he saw with shock that the plant

began to sway gently. Seeing that there was no wind blowing, he

wondered what was causing it to move. His eyes took on the size of

dinner plates as he saw it move in time with the melody and then

suddenly straighten up. Its browning leaves became green and

healthy. It began growing new shoots and gained several inches in

height as if it had been given a super fertilizer. The sight made the

teacher almost drop the plant on his foot. He then noticed that many

of his other plants were also beginning to thrive. New seedlings that

he had just planted were already sprouting!

As a master of the Unseen Light, Ranma was far more capable than

other martial artists were when it came to being aware of his

environment. He could feel nature around him like a second skin. He

let his music and ki flow into everything around him. The tree that he

had been sitting under had been stricken with disease and was

scheduled to be cut down. Ranma's music however, was starting to

have an effect on it. The bark became less brittle. The leaves that

were just barely staying on their branches became fuller and new

buds began to appear. Branches that were withering away were

miraculously strengthened and no longer sagged. The Amazons

smiled as they watched the tree heal itself under Ranma's playing.

They weren't the least bit surprised as they had already seen this

kind of phenomena back in their village. The blind martial artist's

music had certain qualities that made him become one with nature.

The crops in their village had flourished since Ranma had begun

practicing music.

Akane and her friends were stunned as they witnessed the tree

become healthy and strong. They were also amazed at how the simple

song that Ranma was playing was having such a profound effect on

them. They just couldn't do anything else but listen to the impromptu

concert. The music played on for another five minutes and was the

only thing that could be heard in the school. Then, the spell was

ended as Ranma finished his piece and took a deep breath. He waited

and then heard the applause of three pairs of hands.

"Aiya! That very beautiful song!" Lilac said happily.

"Very beautiful!" Perfume repeated. Shampoo also nodded in

agreement.

Ranma smiled as he put away his flute then was surprised as he

heard more applause coming from all sides. The floors of the main

building were crammed with students and teachers as they had exited

their classes and were gathered near the windows to listen in on

Ranma's playing. Crowds of students had formed around the area.

They too agreed that the blind boy deserved a standing ovation. Just

about every girl in school had fallen for the unseeing martial artist

and musician. They made it a goal in their lives to get a date with him.

One girl however, did not share their views. Akane had shook off

the effects of Ranma's music and her old temper had returned with a

vengeance. It was bad enough that the entire school was beginning

to ignore her in favor of the newcomers, but now her two friends were

adding to the fire.

"Oooooh! That song was so romantic!" Yuka commented, little

hearts floating about her.

"Strong, cute, a great fighter and a musician too! I'm in love!"

Sayuri sighed happily.

"Will you two quit acting like that!" Akane said. "So he can play a

flute. Big deal! He's still just a stupid boy!"

"Akane, I can't believe that you still think he's not a hunk!" Sayuri

exasperated.

"Are you made of stone?" Yuka asked.

"Hmpf!"

On the other side of the field, Nabiki smiled as she and two of her

flunkies watched the Amazons walk off to class. Akane's sister made

a mental note to have some recording devices set up, should Ranma

play his flute again. She could just see herself signing him up to a

recording contract and raking in the revenue his music would

generate. The fact that he also possessed a solid silver flute also did

not go unnoticed.

Nabiki then turned to listen to the report from the girl that she

assigned to observe Ranma. The girl's information was rather

sketchy as she informed Nabiki that the new boy was a Japanese

citizen, but had been living in China for more than half of his life. The

girl also made several references to a mysterious Amazon tribe and

the rumors concerning that little-known region of the Quinghai

province. The mystery just made Nabiki even more determine to

unlock its secrets.

Meanwhile, in the home of the Tendo family, another scene of

great importance was taking place. At the time, only Soun Tendo was

in the house. His eldest daughter Kasumi had left to go shopping and

his other two daughters were still at school. Just after he had finished

reading the postcard, which informed him of his friend's imminent

arrival, he heard a knock at the door.

"Soatome! My old friend!"

Soun Tendo rushed to the front door, eager to greet his old

training buddy. He was also looking forward to meeting with the boy

with whom one of his daughters would marry, thereby sealing the

pact to unite the schools of the Anything Goes Martial Arts.

However, he was to be very disappointed as a huge panda came

through the door.

After a brief episode of screaming and fainting on Soun's part,

Genma began explaining the circumstances in which he was without

his son. Of course, he left out a few teensy, weensy, be it ever so

crucial, little tiny details. Details such as the fact that Ranma was

blind and that his father was the one who had caused his blindness.

In fact, the conversation went something like this

After Soun regained consciousness

"Oh Saotome! How I weep for you! Your son being held a prisoner

of those terrible warrior women for eight long years! Brainwashed

into thinking that he is one of them and forsaking his own loving

father! Oh the tragedy!"

"Alas, my poor son! For eight years, I have been trying to rescue

Ranma from their evil clutches but to my greatest sorrow, I had

failed!" Genma blubbered alongside his overemotional friend, playing

the charade for all it was worth.

"Saotome! We must rescue your son and bring him here to the

dojo! The light of justice will carry us through as we spirit him away

from those evil warrior women! Come Saotome! There will be a

reckoning as those Amazons will face off against not one, but two

masters of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!"

Genma nodded as he began leading the way to where the

Amazons were staying. He had gotten information about the elder

Cologne's whereabouts after she had finished her business with the

registration office at the school. He figured that with Soun's help,

getting Ranma back would be much simpler now that they weren't in

China. The Amazons weren't in their village and there were only three

girls and one extremely aged woman. Surely, they wouldn't be that

hard to beat, would they? Of course, with Ranma being blind, he

wouldn't offer much resistance either, right?

If Genma had known that Cologne was actually the equal if not the

better of their old, evil and perverted master Happosai, then he

wouldn't have been as confident. He was also unaware that

Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume represented the best of their tribe's

warriors and that Ranma had become Koga's better in the Unseen

Light Martial Arts. As such, that not only made him the village's top

male fighter, but that also made him the best fighter of his generation

period.

The school day ended without fanfare as the students began

pouring out of the main building and head for home. The Amazons

led Ranma to an address that Cologne had given them before she left

the school. It was a two-story building that was run by a woman from

their tribe named Pepper. Ever since the Amazons had begun letting

some of their members attend school in Tokyo they had established a

place in which they could reside and get acclimated to the customs of

the outside world as they learned about it. The lower floor had been

converted into a large restaurant in which to generate income, while

the upper floor contained several living quarters. Pepper's culinary

ability was extraordinary and she also had a knack for business

affairs. Within a year since it opened, Pepper's Place had become a

popular spot to eat.

As Ranma and his sister Amazons came to the establishment,

Cologne and a middle-aged woman with long black hair greeted them.

Pepper was part American and her skin was a little paler than the rest

of the tribe. Her grandmother had met and married a United States

soldier in Manchuria during World War II. Her personality was a bit

more light-hearted and she was very easy to get along with. Her

figure was lithe and she wore a green silk dress that resembled a

kimono. Her movements were deft and quick and she radiated a

vitality that made her seem younger than she actually was. As soon

as Ranma's senses reached out, he found himself smiling, as he liked

what he detected. The woman had a good heart and reminded him of

his mother Jasmine.

"Oh Cologne! You told me that Jasmine's boy was handsome, but I

had no idea that he was absolutely gorgeous! I can see why that the

girls want him so much!"

Ranma's cheeks reddened at the compliment as he held out his

hand. "I'm pleased to meet with you er?"

"I am Pepper. And you may speak Japanese with me for I am very

fluent in the language. So you are Jasmine's son Ranma, are you

not?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Do not be so nervous young one. I do not bite. Your mother

happens to be a good friend of mine and she sent me many letters,

telling me about you."

"So you know about ?"

"That you are blind? Yes, I know of it but I was also told that you

had studied under Koga and that you have become a master of the

Unseen Light."

"That is right..." Ranma paused as his sixth and seventh sense

picked up something off to his right. One of Pepper's waitresses had

tripped over a small fold in the carpet and the heavy tray she had

been balancing tipped over. The six bowls of ramen began to fall

toward the floor. For a brief moment, it seemed that there was going

to be an awful mess splattered on the carpet.

Ranma reacted in a heartbeat. Taking out his new battle staff, he

pointed one end of the metal rod at the falling bowls.

"Extend."

The cylinder instantly elongated to a length of twelve feet and

shot across the room. Ranma directed the end of the pole to catch the

bowl closest to the floor. With a casual flick of the wrist, he sent the

bowl flying straight up and then went to the next falling entr e. His

staff blurred as each bowl was intercepted and sent flying upward.

The tray, which almost hit the floor was also picked up and balanced

on the end of the staff. With the tray perfectly balanced, the blind

boy caught the bowls of ramen as they made their descent. When all

six had been retrieved, Ranma settled the tray onto a nearby table.

The waitress stared in amazement at the tray for not one drop had

been spilled.

Pepper smiled after witnessing the feat, then looked back at

Ranma, who was already putting away his staff. "Very impressive

young one. You were indeed a student of Koga's. We shall talk more

on this later. For now, let me show you to your rooms."

The three girls and Ranma were all settled in as the sun was just

starting its evening decent toward the horizon. By the time it was 6:30

pm, Lilac, Perfume, Shampoo and Ranma had finished their homework

and were helping in the restaurant. Pepper's regular staff had been

working overtime and she decided to give them the night off. True to

the Amazon way of life, the simple and ordinary tasks were made into

training exercises. The customers were not only given service with a

smile, but they were also entertained as the warriors displayed their

skills in agility, coordination and speed.

Cologne and Pepper prepared each order with amazing speed and

unorthodox methods. They would toss up vegetables and chop them

up in midair, letting them land in perfect arrangements on their

respective plates. Noodles were handled like miniature lariats and

moved as if they were alive. Tossing them through clouds of spices

in perfect proportions meats were seasoned. When they had

completed an order, the plate or bowl would be launched toward one

of the girls or Ranma to be served.

Shampoo would catch bowls of ramen on one finger or by tossing

a tray to intercept the incoming meal. The tray and bowl would land

gently on the intended table without so much a single drop wasted.

Lilac would do elaborate flips over the heads of the patrons as she

caught plates of chow mien. Perfume would catch teriyaki platters

and bowls of rice by balancing them on the tips of chopsticks.

However, the main focus was on Ranma.

Pepper was very interested in Ranma's skills and threw a large

number of meals at him. Ranma would either use his hands, feet or

battle staff to catch the plates and bowls and deliver them to the

customers. Even if she would throw something at him when his back

was turned, the blind martial artist would still catch it in some manner

and deliver it to the right person. His extending battle staff was

extremely useful in this situation. Pepper would sometimes throw a

meal in a direction opposite to the intended customer on purpose.

Ranma would simply elongate his staff to intercept it. On other times,

he would throw his weapon in its baton form to stop the meal from

spilling and still make the delivery. One time, Pepper threw a bowl of

soup so far off course, that Ranma knew that he could not extend his

staff fast enough to reach it. There was also a customer in the way so

Ranma used his seventh sense to track the bowl's trajectory. When

he ascertained its landing point, he threw his baton at a nearby wall.

The weapon ricocheted off the wall and did a triple rebound off some

support pillars. The baton then arced toward the ground and

bounced upward to catch the bowl, just as it was coming down. The

soup was sent back up and was flying toward Ranma. The contents

started to spill out, but Ranma simply caught the bowl and used it to

catch every drop of the steamy liquid. He then laid the bowl gently in

front of the amazed patron and held out his other hand. His baton

had then rebounded back to its owner and was deftly snatched out of

midair. While twirling his weapon, Ranma smiled and said, "Enjoy

your order sir."

There was a very large round of applause from the crowds after

witnessing such a feat and Ranma couldn't help but to take a small

bow.

In the kitchen, Pepper was more than amazed by the boy's fast

reaction time, quick thinking and accuracy. "Now that was truly

extraordinary! It is very hard to believe that the lad is blind."

"Yes. Sometimes, I have a hard time believing it myself." Cologne

remarked. "Koga had taught him well. As of now, I would dare say

that he is the best fighter of his generation in the village. His skills

surpasses all of the young warriors and he even gives me a good

workout."

"You have sparred with him?"

"I have tested the boy on several occasions. Ranma is just as

good, if not better than Koga was. In some ways, his senses are even

greater than my own. Ironically, his blindness gives him a few

substantial advantages. Illusion and stealth techniques are virtually

useless against him. Sneaking up on him is not possible. Believe me,

I've tried. His ki attacks and martial arts are very strong and he uses

them with efficiency. He is very knowledgeable in Amazon special

fighting techniques, shiatsu pressure points and herbal medicine. He

has also shown considerable tracking skills, musical aptitude and a

talent for languages. He can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese

and some passable English."

"Really?"

"He spent a lot of time with those groups that visited our village to

give immunization shots to the children. He's also used his ability to

read printed words with his fingers to learn new languages."

"Ranma seems to have a very well-rounded education."

"Yes. He is very skilled and knowledgeable in many fields. The

boy is like a sponge. Present him with something and he'll learn it

quickly. I'm still trying to get over the fact that he knows an

advanced form of the Breaking Point."

"The Backusai Tenketsu?"

"Yes. Koga had taught Ranma how to use his senses to find the

stress points and fracture areas of not just rock, but also other

materials as well. I've seen him break metal, wood, paper, cloth and

ceramics apart with one finger! The target doesn't explode but

instead crumbles away. Ranma's ki control is so precise that he can

actually direct the force however he wants it. A great improvement,

don't you agree? And of course, we may assume that Koga had

taught him other techniques that we are not yet aware of."

"Yes, I was wondering about that staff of his."

"Ranma's mastery in the Unseen Light has caught the attention of

the Council of Elders and jst about every young, unmarried Amazon

want him for a husband." Cologne chuckled a bit. "It is my wish that

Shampoo would be the one to catch him."

Both women shared a good-natured laugh.

When the business began to slow down at around eight o'clock,

Pepper had asked Ranma to accompany her as she prepared to make

a few deliveries. The young Saotome was happy to oblige and the

two were soon out the door with takeout boxes. As they made their

way down the street, a couple of shadows moved alongside a nearby

alley. Two heads peered around the corner and then nodded to each

other.

Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome tensed in preparation. Grabbing

Ranma in front of all those crowds would not have been a good idea.

Besides, the five Amazons at the establishment presented them with

unfavorable odds. Now was the time for them to strike. Ranma only

had that woman with him and he was out in the open. The two

disciples of Happosai prepared to retrieve the future of the Anything

Goes Schools of Martial Arts. Nothing could stop them now!

Fighting Blind

So many disclaimers, so little time

: Thoughts

"": Chinese language

Chapter 5

Operation Get the Groom!

"There he is Saotome!" Soun whispered as he prepared to pounce

on the unsuspecting Ranma and his companion.

Genma nodded as he too readied himself. "Right. You distract

that Amazon while I get my boy. Pay no attention to what he says.

Those Amazons have brainwashed him into thinking that he's one of

them."

"Don't worry Saotome! Once we get your son away from those

people, we'll set him straight and he can then fulfill the pledge to

unite the schools of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!"

"All right. We have to get closer though." Genma then paused,

then asked his friend. "By the way Tendo. Which one of your

daughters will be engaged to?"

Soun thought for a moment and then said. "Akane! Yes! He'll

marry Akane! He's a martial artist! She's a martial artist! It's a match

made with heaven's blessings!"

Somewhere in reality, the personification of Common Sense

groaned in frustration and went off to sulk.

"All right then. It's Genma's "

"And Soun's "

Both men said the last part in unison. "Operation Get the

Groom!"

Meanwhile, Ranma and Pepper were quietly engaged in a friendly

discussion as they walked down the street. Each of them carried a

takeout box and was in good spirits when Ranma suddenly stopped

and tensed up.

Pepper noted Ranma's sudden agitation and then, she too got the

feeling that they were being followed.

"Ranma, are you sensing something?"

Ranma nodded. Two men one of them is more out of shape

than the other. They're traveling over the rooftops behind us and

are trying to ambush us from both sides. They're about fifty

feet away and " The blind martial artist paused as his sixth and

seventh sense gave him a bit of unwelcome information. "He's

here."

"Who?"

"Pepper my father is here and he's going to try to take me

away. I sense that he wants me for something. Probably so he could

sell me off again."

Pepper frowned and then placed the takeout box gently to the

ground. She then readied herself for the imminent battle. She knew

about Genma from the letters that Jasmine had wrote to her and she

did not like the idea of him getting a hold of Ranma one bit. "He's

not going to have you."

It was then that all hell broke loose.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Ranma jumped to the side, placing the takeout box on top of a

nearby mailbox. He deftly avoided Genma's charge and retaliated

with a spin kick to the head. Genma went sprawling and the Unseen

Light martial artist used this opportunity to leap back and bring out

his battle staff.

Vreet!

The metal rod extended itself to its five-foot length and Ranma

assumed a ready stance with his weapon held out. As he sensed

Genma getting back to his feet, his expression became one of anger

and disgust as he faced off against the man with whom he had not

encountered for over eight years, his father.

"Ranma! Son! We're here to save you!"

"Save me?" Ranma said with contempt. "Save me from what?"

"Don't worry son!" Soun said as he faced off against Pepper.

"We'll rescue you from these evil Amazons! We know that they've

brainwashed you into thinking that you're one of them!"

"Brainwash? Evil Amazons?" Ranma turned to his father and said

in a low and deadly tone. "Just what kind of lies have you told him?"

His battle aura and ki energy began to flare as his anger increased.

He knew that Genma was not an honest person and right now, this

sounded like another one of his father's idiotic schemes. After

being engaged to a dozen different girls for food, any respect

Ranma had for his father had long since disintegrated.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ranma! I'm only trying to

do what's best for you!" Genma began to sweat a little as he looked

for an opening. He had hoped to catch his son off-guard, but it was

apparent that he had greatly underestimated the boy's skill level. The

way he was radiating his ki energy at the moment was daunting. Still,

after a lifetime of dodging responsibility for his actions, Genma

was not about to let this opportunity slip away. After eight long

years, he had finally gotten into a position in which Ranma was

separated from those Amazons. There was only that one woman to

deal with and with Soun's help, bringing Ranma to the dojo would be

a snap, right?

"Doing what's best for me huh? More like you're just doing

what's best for yourself! I don't know what you got planned and I

don't really care! I'm not going anywhere with you after what you

did to me!"

"I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid that I'm going to make you see the

error of your ways. For the sake of the Saotome School of the

Anything Goes Martial Arts! This is going to hurt me more than it

does you!" Genma got into a fighting stance.

You got that right! Ranma thought as he waited for Genma to

attack. And I severely doubt that you could make me 'see' the

error of my ways.

Meanwhile, Soun was facing off against the owner of Pepper's

Place.

"Madam, though I bear no malice against you, I must demand that

you relinquish your hold on my future son-in-law!"

"Son-in-law?" Pepper said in surprise then sarcastically replied.

"Don't tell me that his father had engaged him to your daughter, has

he?" She knew about the numerous girls whom Genma had sold

Ranma off for food. Jasmine's letters had been very detailed.

Soun nodded. "It is a matter of honor that he wed one of my

daughters and carry on the School of the Anything Goes Martial

Arts! He was promised to me before any of our children was born!

Genma and I had made a solemn vow and the boy will follow

through!"

Pepper gave Soun a glare as she replied, "Well you can't have

him. Ranma has had enough of his father's idiotic promises in which

he had no say in the matter. In any case, I have grown rather fond of

the boy and I will not let him be taken away from his family. If you

want him, then you'll have to get by me first!"

Soun charged at Pepper, hoping for a quick knockout.

Genma tried to rush at his son, thinking that he would not be able

to block his attack. He couldn't do it when he was eight and he

certainly couldn't see the attack. However, this was not to be as

Ranma's sixth sense warned him of the approaching danger and his

seventh sense was already forming the image of his father as he

aimed a high punch sweep combo. Ranma easily dodged the strikes

and delivered several quick jabs with one end of his staff. Genma's

breath was driven out of him as the staff struck him in the abdomen.

He was driven back as his son delivered a solid strike to his temple,

then followed through with a snap kick to his face. He then used a

fast nine-hit combo with kicks and staff that his father was simply

not able to avoid even he hadn't been dazed from the first attacks.

Genma staggered back as he resumed another stance. Ow! Ow!

Ow! The boy can't be that good! He can't have that kind of skill

level, especially when he's blind! What's going on? It was then that

Genma's eyes widened as Ranma took a different stance. It was a

stance that Genma remembered well as only one other person ever

used it. It was during the time in which Ranma was thirteen and

Genma had been trying to retrieve his son. However, a certain blind

master of the Unseen Light had prevented him from getting close to

Ranma and had given the fat martial artist a painful thrashing each

time they faced off. Despite any special technique that Genma used,

Koga would always pound the living daylights out of him.

Ranma smiled as he sensed the fear and shock in his father. Koga

had told him about his encounters with Genma and taking his

master's old battle stance was having the desired effect. He could

sense Genma's heart racing and his sweating had become a bit more

intense. His body language was also betraying him as trembled

slightly. He then decided to taunt his father to further undermine his

confidence. "Surprised Genma?" Ranma refused to call him Pop as

he felt that Genma had long since lost the right to be referred as

such. "Master Koga had taught me a lot of things in the last eight

years!"

Genma was not about to let Ranma get away with that kind of

insolence. "Ranma! You shame our family name and bring dishonor

to the School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts!" He tried a triple-

strike with his fist, followed by a high kick. "As the heir to our

family's fighting style, it is your duty to fulfill the pledge to marry a

Tendo!"

Ranma was caught off guard from this bit of information and was

nearly hit by Genma's attacks. He quickly recovered and continued

to evade his father's punches and kicks. "What?! You engaged me

again?! What was it for this time?!"

Soun paused in his fight with Pepper when he heard this. He

turned to Genma. "Saotome what did he just say?"

Uh oh! Looks like he found out about them! "Errr Tendo!

Don't listen to him! He's been brainwashed by those wicked and

barbaric Amazons and "

WHAM!

Genma was cut off as Ranma slammed him in the head with his

battle staff. The fat man staggered back as Ranma addressed his

father.

"Listen here you sorry excuse for a human being! Nobody

badmouths my tribe and gets away with it! And for the record, I'm

thinking quite clearly!"

Genma could see that the situation was getting rapidly out of

hand. "Son, you don't know what you're saying! I'm only here to

save you from "

"From what?! The only person I need to be saved from is you!

After all the things you've done to me, I would have to be totally

insane to go along with any stupid arrangement that you made!"

"It's not stupid! It's a matter of honor "

"Don't make me laugh! Tell me Genma! Does the name Daijkoku

ring a bell? How about Li Zang or Shinada or the other families

whose daughters you engaged me to feed your fat stomach? Do

those names sound familiar?"

"Errr should they?"

"Don't play dumb with me Genma! They all came by the village to

collect on those debts you owe them! They actually believed that I

would go through with those stupid engagements! Now you actually

want to uphold one of your stupid promises? WELL LEAVE ME

OUT OF IT!"

Genma began to sweat even more and before he knew it, Ranma

had closed the gap between them.

Soun was also having problems as his fight with Pepper was

going badly. The Amazon proved to be more formidable that he

thought and he was not in the best of shape. Every kick or punch

would be countered and it wasn't long before Soun's body began to

slow down from the constant exertion and the bruises it received.

So far, it had been normal hand to hand fighting. Pepper's speed and

agility allowed her to dance around Soun's relatively slow and

clumsy offense. He had not been training as hard as Genma had after

they had gotten away from their perverted master Happosai. It was at

that time that Pepper began demonstrating the fighting style that she

specialized in.

"Behold!" Pepper exclaimed as she took a new stance. One of her

arms was raised and with a casual flick of her wrist, she made a pair

of chopsticks appear. "The techniques of 3,000 years of Chinese

Amazon Cooking Combat!" Her battle aura glowed with a fierce

green aura.

Soun rushed at her, throwing a high punch. Amazingly though,

Pepper simply sidestepped the blow and used her chopsticks to snag

the sleeve of Soun's gi. With almost no effort whatsoever, Pepper

twisted her wrist slightly and Soun found himself flying straight up

into the air. He then crashed down on the pavement with an audible

splat. Pepper was far from finished as she threw her hand forward

and launched the pair of chopsticks at him.

"CHOPSTICK BARRAGE!"

The two wooden sticks suddenly glowed with a yellow light, then

exploded into a hundred chopsticks each. Soun eyes widened as they

came at him like darts. He was just barely able to dodge as the

projectiles imbedded themselves into wooden structures, concrete

and even metal streetlights and signs.

Ranma also had Genma on the ropes. No matter what technique

Genma used, Ranma's enhanced senses would give him more than

enough warning to counter and evade each attack. Ranma ducked

another high punch, then jabbed forward with a finger, just as his

father attempted a flying kick. The blind boy's digit struck a nerve

on Genma's leg and the martial artist felt his leg begin to lock up.

With a sickening feeling of d j vu, Genma was slammed to the

ground face-first as the Unseen Light fighter used his staff as a

lever. Several more pressure points on Genma's back rendered him

unconscious.

Pepper landed another blow to Soun's midsection, then followed

though with a sidekick. Soun's breath whooshed out and he

staggered back. Pepper's then threw out her hands and released a

fine mist from her fingertips.

"PEPPER SPICE STORM!"

A cloud of spices exploded forward and Soun caught a good

portion of it in his face. The effect of the mixture of hot spices was

like tear gas. His eyes burned and became watery as he began

coughing. As he raised his hands to wipe his eyes, Pepper pressed

home her advantage and launched her final attack.

"SOY SAUCE SENDOFF!"

As she threw her cupped hands forward, a huge stream of brown

liquid spewed forth from her palms like water coming from a high-

pressure hose. Soun was immediately drenched in the cooking

liquid and was pushed back into a wall. He slammed into the

concrete and was knocked out. His body slumped down to the

pavement in a messy and smelly puddle.

Ranma smiled as he walked up to Pepper, who happened to be

wiping her hands with a handkerchief. His enhanced senses had

already detected the ki energies that she used in her attacks.

Although some Amazon techniques were unorthodox, he had to

admit that Pepper's fighting style was effective. Bizarre yes, but

effective.

"That was neat Pepper!"

"Thank you Ranma. It is my family's fighting style. It was created

for some Amazon housewives who got into arguments with their

husbands over what to have for supper."

Ranma paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay I guess that

makes sense."

Pepper smiled as she picked up the takeout boxes and started

walking. "We'll talk more about it later. For now, we have some

deliveries to make."

Ranma nodded as he picked up his own takeout box. Before

following Pepper down the street, he turned back to where Genma

was still sprawled on the ground. His brows furrowed in disgust. He

had been willing to talk things out with his father when he arrived in

Japan, but this ambush had destroyed all hope of ever coming to a

peaceful solution. His father had once again engaged him to

someone without his agreement and this time, he was bound and

determined to make Ranma take responsibility for his greedy acts.

He was actually expecting him to marry a Tendo. After meeting

Akane, Ranma shuddered at the thought of being engaged to a

violent maniac. The lies and slander that he told his friend about the

Amazons only made the blind martial artist detest his father even

more. It was at this time that Ranma came to a fateful decision. He

would no longer consider anything of Genma's to be of any value.

The Amazons had been his only family and he would not forsake

them. They had helped him deal with his blindness. They had taught

him honor and loyalty. They had given him a home and made him

what he was. Though he did wish to meet his real mother, he now

committed himself to following the ways of the Joketsuzoku.

With these thoughts, Ranma spat on his father's insensate form

and then followed Pepper down the street.

Later that night, after Pepper had closed down her restaurant, the

two of them sat with Cologne and the others to discuss their

encounter with Genma and Soun. The three girls became very

concerned when they learned that Ranma had been promised to one

of the Tendo girls. They especially didn't like the idea that he may

get engaged to Akane Tendo. The self-centered girl had already

become hostile toward them as they had been getting all the

attention during their first day at school. They didn't like her attitude

toward Ranma either. Calling him a pervert for no good reason

other than the fact that he was boy. Ridiculous!

"Stupid Panda-man make trouble for Ranma again!" Lilac said in

an irritated voice. Like everyone else in the village, she was quite

aware of the numerous fianc es Genma had arranged for Ranma to

feed his fat stomach.

"Yes child." Cologne agreed. "However, this is not China and he

may have a bit more leverage here than back at the village."

"What do you mean great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked. "We

can just beat him up if he gets too close to Ranma, can't we?"

"What she means Shampoo " Pepper continued for Cologne. "Is

that we don't have the help of our sister Amazons. This little defeat

was only a minor setback and I'm certain that he won't give up that

easily. I also saw that his friend had an obsessive look about him and

was just as determined to make Ranma marry one of his daughters.

We'll have to be on our guard from now on. We also must

remember that we are in Japan. We must be very careful not to get

involved with their laws."

"I can take care of myself Pepper. You don't have to do this for

me. It is my problem and I don't want any of you to get into trouble

because of me."

"No trouble Ranma!" Shampoo insisted.

"Amazons take care of each other!" Perfume said.

"Amazons no let stupid Panda-man take Ranma!" Lilac agreed.

"The girls speak for all of us." Cologne said. "You are a part of

the tribe Ranma and we're not about to lose you to some idiotic

promise that worthless slime had made in your name."

Pepper nodded enthusiastically. "Besides, I promised your

mother that you would be safe and she would have my head if

anything were to happen to you."

Ranma was overwhelmed at the way that his sister Amazons were

ready to defend him. "Thank you."

At around eleven o'clock, the three girls and Ranma went to their

rooms to sleep and prepare for school. As the building was closing

down for the night, Pepper and Cologne were sitting in the kitchen

and were sipping on some tea.

"You realize that Genma might get the law on his side and

demand that Ranma be returned to him." Pepper said after a long

silence. "He is still Ranma's natural father and therefore has full

custody rights."

Cologne considered this for a moment then shook her head. "I

severely doubt that. If it were as simple as that, then he would have

done so long ago. According to what Koga and Ranma had told me,

Genma is a person of little or no conscience. He steals things, lies

and cheats whenever he has the opportunity. He even got Ranma

involved before Jasmine found him." Just like Happosai. The

elder's eyes narrowed a bit at the thought of the pervert. "He has

built up quite a list of petty crimes and there are many businesses

that want to get a hold of him. Also, keep in mind of all those

engagements that he had arranged. Most importantly, he was the one

that had caused Ranma to be blind in the first place by putting him

through the Neko Ken training."

Pepper blanched when she heard this. "The dreaded Cat Fist?"

She then paused and slowly asked. "Does that mean that

Ranma is?"

The ancient matriarch held up a hand and replied. "No. He does

not know the Cat Fist. In a way, his accident was sort of a mixed

blessing. He may have lost his sight, but he does not have the

accompanying madness of Cat Fu. And even if he did learn it, the

trigger to the madness is to 'see' a cat. Hearing a cat isn't enough.

He can't see it, therefore no regression into a feral state."

"Thank goodness."

Cologne nodded before taking another sip of her tea. "In any

case, after all that Genma had done to the boy and the crimes that he

committed, I doubt that any court would see him fit to raise a child.

That's probably the reason why he didn't try any legal action against

us and ambushed you and Ranma during the delivery."

The restaurant owner nodded in comprehension. For now, Ranma

would remain with them.

At the Tendo complex, two battered and beaten figures limped

and staggered into the house. A gentle-looking girl in her late teens

greeted them at the front hall.

"Hello father. Welcome home." She then got a good look at Soun

and his friend and gasped. "Oh my! What happened to you?"

Soun looked up at Kasumi. He was a sorry sight to behold. His

body was littered with bruises and he absolutely reeked of soy

sauce. His gi was stained dark brown and his hair was slick and still

dripping. His eyes were a bit glazed and he looked as if he was about

to collapse at any moment. One moment later, he did just that. His

friend Genma followed suit as the pressure points that his son used

against him made his legs give out.

Kasumi rushed toward the two of them and began tending to their

wounds. She also called out to her sisters who were currently

upstairs.

Somewhere in the mountainous areas near Kyoto, a lone figure

was wandering around, looking for any sign that would lead him to

Tokyo. In his mind was just one thought.

Ranma Saotome! I swear that I'll make you pay for my

suffering! I will have my revenge!

With this in mind, Ryoga Hibiki headed off in a direction

opposite to Tokyo. He then took a wrong step and tumbled down a

hillside. After making a painful landing in a patch of nettles, he

screamed out to the heavens.

"RANMA SAOTOME! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Fighting Blind

The usual disclaimer is not here right now, so leave a message after

the beep.

: Thoughts

Chapter 6

Akane Vs Ranma

It was a bright morning in Nerima as Cologne and Pepper awoke in

their respective bedrooms. As they got out of bed, their heightened

senses of awareness instantly detected sizable amounts of battle

auras being emitted from the rear of the building. Both Amazons went

to their bedroom windows and leaned out to see what was going on

in the empty lot behind the establishment. They both smiled as they

watched Ranma and the three girls spar.

Lilac and Perfume were both leaping back and forth as they made

thirty-foot leaps, midair flips and other fantastic acrobatic maneuvers.

Perfume was armed with a wooden Bo staff, while Lilac was using a

pair of tonfa. Each girl was trying her very best to get the upper hand

on her opponent. Dozens of parries, strikes and thrusts were

exchanged between the two of them in mere instants. The sounds of

their weapons echoed loudly as they clashed together. On the other

side of the lot, Ranma was giving his cousin Shampoo quite a

workout. The girl with the purple tresses was using her favorite

weapons, the bonbori, which was a pair of round, steel maces. The

blind martial artist was armed with his special battle staff.

Cologne and Pepper both nodded as they went to dress up for the

day. A few minutes later, the two women were at the lot and were

watching on the sidelines. They began assessing the skill levels of

the fighters as they darted around the lot like maddened dragonflies.

"They're not going full out." Pepper observed as Lilac ducked

under a double-strike from Perfume.

"No." Cologne agreed as Lilac retaliated with a swing to the head.

The elder noted that none of the girls or Ranma was breathing hard.

"This is just a warm up. I've seen Ranma practice daily with the other

Amazons back in the village. The younger generations have

improved significantly since he started to train with them. Things

should start getting serious right about now."

As if on cue, Ranma suddenly increased his pace and began

striking at Shampoo with even more intensity. Shampoo found herself

being driven back as Ranma's assault became even harder to counter.

Ranma smiled as he reached out with his sixth and seventh senses.

He could tell by her breathing that his cousin was getting tired. He

could also sense that some holes in her defense were starting to

appear. With a deft jab, he poked her in the abdomen.

"Oof!"

"That's one, Cousin." The blind boy stated with a smirk.

Shampoo fought back with renewed determination as she tried a

five-hit combination. Ranma deflected each blow with ease. To the

untrained eye, it looked as if Shampoo was still on the offensive and

in control. To Cologne however, it was apparent that Shampoo was

starting to get careless.

"Shampoo. Don't lose your patience."

Ranma then sensed a slight opening near her left shoulder as she

tried a swing toward his head. Ducking under the blow, he brought

the front of his staff up and gave a light nudge. The movement was

barely a flicker but Shampoo felt it all the same.

"Strike two."

Shampoo then got a bit irritated that she had yet to score a single

hit. Even though Ranma wasn't hitting with any considerable force,

the fact that he was getting through her defense was reason for her

to improve. She tried a double strike with her maces, but Ranma easily

dodged the attack and use his staff in a twisting motion to knock her

weapons out of her hands. Before she knew it, she was flying though

the air as her sparring partner suddenly dropped his weapon and

then put her into a judo toss.

"WAAAH!"

Whomp!

Shampoo landed on her back, slightly dazed. When she looked up,

she saw Ranma standing above her with one end of his staff lightly

pressed up against her throat.

Ranma gave her a small grin as he said, "Strike three Shampoo.

You're out."

Lilac and Perfume took neutral stances as they looked over to

where their fallen sister Amazon was.

"Shampoo do better against Ranma than last time." Lilac said with

a grin.

"Yes. She last five more seconds." Perfume added with a smug

look.

Cologne sighed as she said. "Indeed. However, she still has much

to learn about patience."

As Shampoo got up and dusted herself off, she gave Lilac and

Perfume a slight frown. "Hmpf! At least Shampoo can last longer

against Ranma than you two! Ranma always beats you in fifteen

seconds!"

Ranma shook his head bemusedly and kept up his smile. "Now,

now girls. Let's not argue. It's all right. You've all improved since we

left China. I'm proud of all of you."

All three girls smiled at the compliment as they all headed back to

Pepper's Place to prepare for school.

As the three girls and Ranma walked to Furinken High, they

decided to make the trip a bit of an exercise in balance training. All

four were traversing on a tall fence that was no more than an inch

wide. They weren't even using their arms to balance. As they got

halfway to their destination, they went into an fast run, with no loss

in equilibrium.

As they ran, they kept their senses peeled for any sign of Genma

Saotome or his friend Soun Tendo. After the ambush yesterday,

Cologne had left the girls with explicit instructions to watch Ranma.

Even though he did not want to be kept under surveillance, the blind

martial artist grudgingly agreed to it. After all, it was very unlikely

that Genma would give up on his insane promise to the Tendo clan,

and was capable of anything. It was also a safe bet that his friend

Soun was just as determined.

As the group approached the school, Ranma suddenly stopped as

his sixth sense suddenly picked up a huge surge of ki energies. He

then dropped down to the street level, a dozen feet from the front

gates of the school and went into a defensive stance.

The girls noted Ranma's sudden tension and dropped down to

him.

"What wrong Ranma?" Lilac asked.

Ranma cocked his head to one side and listened. "We're about to

get attacked."

"By who? Genma?" Shampoo said as she and the rest of her group

also went into battle stances.

"No, not him. Them." Ranma pointed to the front of the school as

the yard was suddenly filled with excited boys. Members from the

various sports teams and clubs came at them in a huge swarm. Each

male student was brandishing a blunt object or some piece of sports

gear. As they rushed toward them, they began shouting out date

proposals?

"Lilac! Date with me!"

"Shampoo! I'm yours!"

"Please go out with me Perfume!"

The Amazons were quite shocked to find themselves being

attacked by the same group that attacked Akane every day, but they

were quick to respond. As the masses began converging on them,

they started to retaliate.

Ranma deftly took out five boys with pressure points before they

could get within twenty feet of Shampoo. He shouted out to his

cousin and friends. "Go easy on these guys! They're not real

fighters! I don't know what's going on but don't hurt them too

much!"

"No problem!" All three girls said as they began pounding the

stuffing out of their admirers.

Approaching the school from another direction, Nabiki and Akane

were running toward Furinken. The younger sister was running with

a full head of steam as she recalled the events of the previous night.

Last night at the Tendo home

"Fianc e?!" Akane said incredulously. Her hatred of boys came to

a fast boil.

Soun smiled as he gestured to his friend sitting beside him. Soun

and Genma had more or less recovered from their bout with Ranma

and Pepper and were cleaned up. Now they were in the parlor with his

daughters as he finished explaining the pledge.

"Yes. He happens to be the son of my dear old friend "

"Genma Saotome." The fat martial artist made a low bow.

"Saotome?" Nabiki asked with interest. "Your son's name

wouldn't happen to be Ranma would it?"

"Yes! That's him!" Genma nodded. "However, I'm afraid that he

had been kidnapped and brainwashed into thinking he's an Amazon!

Soun and I risked our lives to get him back, but we failed! Boo hoo

hoo!" Genma went into a fountain of tears, which Soun readily joined.

Soun was crying in earnest but to a pair of trained eyes like Nabiki's,

Genma act was about as believable as a 'B' movie.

"Oh come on now. You don't expect us to believe this, now do

you Mr. Saotome?"

"Oh my." Kasumi said. The eldest sister was just surprised as her

siblings as she began wondering what this Ranma was like. She made

a note to ask Nabiki about him, since she and Akane had already met

him.

"I hate boys!" Akane said with her usual brand of subtlety. "Dad!

You can't expect one of us to marry that arrogant jerk do you?'

Soun stopped his crying spree and took on a serious expression.

"Akane! It is a matter of honor that you marry Ranma and carry on

the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! It's already been

decided!"

"What?! Me?!"

Soun took on a solemn look and said. "Yes Akane. Genma and I

have already decided that as the heir to our family's school, you will

marry Ranma." He then smiled as he said. "Don't worry Akane. Once

we rescue your fianc e, then we can get on with the engagement!"

"I HATE BOYS! I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT!"

Soun turned and smiled at Genma. "You see Genma. She's very

excited about it."

"Yes! The perfect couple!" Genma agreed.

Nabiki groaned a bit as she couldn't believe how dense her father

and his friend was. However, this new development only opened up

to new possibilities. Ranma had already displayed several impressive

skills and having him engaged to the family could prove profitable.

She was now more determined than ever to learn all about Ranma.

The present

Akane had spent the better part of the night screaming at her

father and his friend, categorically stating that she would never marry

Ranma. As a result, she had not gotten much sleep and neither did

anyone else in the house. Consequently, she and her sister Nabiki

were late waking up in the morning. They only had a few minutes

before the late bell would ring and they were both feeling the effects

of the lack of sleep. Now as they neared the school, her temper had

begun to rise again and she needed to blow off some steam. Usually

she would have been irritated to fight those boys who challenged her

every day, but today she was looking forward to pounding some

skulls. She was also looking forward to hitting Ranma as well, for his

part in all this mess. However, as soon as she got within twenty feet

of the front gate, she stopped and stared at the scene before her.

Nabiki also stopped and together, they gaped at the carnage. Akane

dropped her bookbag and Nabiki silently swore to herself, as she

hadn't gotten to school sooner and set up the betting pools.

Ranma and his sister Amazons were standing in the middle of a

landscape of bruised, beaten and battered male students. The fight

had not lasted long. It had taken them a mere ten seconds to

pulverize more than eighty opponents. The adolescents were

scattered about school yard, most of them were unconscious.

Surprisingly though, some of the would-be attackers were relatively

unscathed as Ranma had taken them out with pressure points.

However, the rest were going to need a visit to the nurse's office.

Despite Ranma telling the girls to go easy on their assailants, the

boys who had attacked the Amazons discovered that the girls were

far more formidable than Akane. Even their lightest punches, slaps

and kicks were the equivalent to being hit with sledgehammers. Oh

well, such is the way of Amazon life.

"I thought I told you to go easy on them." Ranma sighed.

"Shampoo did go easy on them." Shampoo protested.

"Lilac pull punches too."

"Not our fault males of Japan not as strong as Ranma." Perfume

said.

"What happened here?"

The four turned to where Akane and Nabiki were. Ranma had long

since sensed their approach. He shrugged and said, "I don't know.

We were just minding our own business and then these jerks start

attacking us. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that dope Kuno had

put them up to this."

"You there! How dare you interfere with my courtship of my

Amazon flowers?"

Ranma gave off another sigh, this time of disgust as he turned to

face Kuno, who had been standing behind the tree during the entire

battle.

"I thought so." Ranma had already sensed his presence when they

had arrived. His features furrowed into a visage of irritation. "You put

these boys up to this didn't you?"

Kuno smirked proudly as he replied, "But of course! These cretins

thought they could just approach the beauties behind you. The mere

concept is unthinkable! Like the lovely Akane, these fair maidens are

not meant for the likes of them or someone as lowly as you are! I had

therefore decreed that no boy might date with them unless he can

defeat them in combat! Only one as great as I may deem himself

worthy of that honor! How dare you get involved in their battles?"

Ranma snarled a bit at this pompous jackass. "All right! That's it!

I've had enough of your stupidity!" Reaching behind him, he took

out his battle staff and made it extend to its usual length. "I'm going

to put an end to this nonsense!" Since words aren't doing anything,

it looks like I'm going to have to use some visual incentive to get my

point across. Much as I hate using force, it looks like this is the only

way for these jerks to get the message.

Kuno smiled with confidence as he held up his bokken. "So you

think to challenge the mighty Tatewaki Kuno? Very well, miscreant!

Come and learn the error of your ways!" Kuno took a pose, as he was

certain that his earlier defeats were just flukes. After all was he not

the greatest warrior in the school no the world no the universe?

Ranma snorted with disdain as he took a ready stance. "Whatever!

But WHEN I win, you are going to take back that stupid

announcement and leave my sister Amazons alone got that? I don't

give a damn about what you do with Akane. As far as I'm concerned,

you can have that ill-mannered tomboy, but keep away from Lilac,

Perfume and Shampoo! "

"Hey!" Akane said in displeasure, not liking that reference about

her, no matter how accurate that statement was.

The three Amazons became very surprised at the intensity of

Ranma's words. They had rarely seen him get so worked up about

something. Usually, he was the perfect example of control and

discipline. Being raised by Jasmine had shaped his personality.

However, they also knew that when Ranma did get upset about

something, he was also quite dangerous and woe to anyone who

ticked him off.

Another thought also crossed their minds. The fact that Ranma

was defending their honor could mean that he cared for them. All

three girls blushed a bit as they began thinking of Ranma as their

knight in shining armor. Not that they needed such protection, being

proper Amazons, but the thought was nice anyway.

"Very well lowly one! If by some unlikely miracle that you can

defeat me, then I shall allow my warrior flowers to date whomever

they please! Although I know that only I am the ones that they have

their hearts set on!"

"Shut up and fight!" Ranma moved with blurring speed.

Kuno smirked as he raised his bokken to deliver a slash, but he

never got the chance to execute the move as Ranma used his staff to

hit several pressure points on Kuno's upper body and legs. His

movements were too fast for the eye to see. One microsecond after

the duel had started, it was all over. Kuno once again found himself

paralyzed in mid-strike but only this time, he felt both shoulders

scream out in agony. Kuno clenched his teeth and tried not to scream

out. He failed.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!"

The Amazons, Akane, Nabiki and the crowd who had seen the

spectacle winced as they saw Kuno's shoulders slightly distort

themselves. Then, like fallen tree branches, his arms slumped down in

their rigid positions. An audible popping sound was heard as his arm

bones were freed from their sockets. Ranma stood back and took a

deep breath. Nothing like a little pain to make them understand. His

sixth and seventh senses registered the increases in heart rates,

emotions and adrenaline of the would-be suitors of the Amazons.

Nearly all of them took several steps back. Ranma nodded. I think

they got the message. After taking a few more cleansing breaths, he

put away his staff and walked up to Kuno's paralyzed form. The

arrogant kendoist found himself unable to utter another sound as his

larynx suddenly locked up.

"Let me explain what I just did Kuno. Not only did I paralyze all

your major skeletal muscles, but also the pressure points that I

applied to your shoulders had caused them to dislocate themselves.

And in case you're wondering why you can't talk, I also used a

delayed pressure point to freeze your voice. I sure as heck don't want

to listen to your idiocy any more. " Ranma then struck a couple of

shiatsu points on his shoulders. "There. As soon as the full body

paralysis wears off, your shoulders will reset themselves. Mind you,

it'll really hurt when they do. However, it will take one full week for

you to get your voice back as it was your big mouth that started this

lunacy in the first place! I'm sure that the school will appreciate not

having to listen to your ranting for a while."

Ranma then turned to the crowds and said in a stern voice. "As for

the rest of you, you have all witnessed my victory against Kuno. The

decree set by him no longer applies to Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume

and I won't tolerate anyone who treats my sister Amazons with

nothing less than respect. If you want to date them, then just ask

them. If you wish to challenge them, then you will do so individually

and with the proper respect! I will not tolerate any more of Kuno's

idiocy, just because he's so dishonorable that he has all of you

attack a girl that he can't get a date with! Am I making myself clear?"

The crowds and the boys who were just starting to pick

themselves off the ground all nodded their understanding. After

seeing their greatest fighter get beaten so easily, the last thing they

wanted to do was to get Ranma riled.

Ranma nodded as he motioned for the three Amazons toward the

school building. As he walked toward the front door, he called back

to the throngs. "You can fight Akane all you want, though I can't

understand why anyone would want a spoiled brat like her. There are

hundreds of pretty girls in the school. I don't know why any guy

would follow a stupid rule made up by Kuno to date a violent maniac

like her. A guy would have to be blind not to see that." The Unseen

Light martial artist smirked at that last bit.

The girls in the crowds gave a loud cheer when Ranma said those

words. They also thought that Akane had been getting too much

attention and it had been about time that someone had knocked

Kuno off his high horse.

The only girl who didn't share their views was of course Akane.

As soon as she heard the 'brat' comment, she had almost exploded.

How DARE he call her that? Grrrrr. It was bad enough that she found

out that she was to be engaged to him, but this this BOY had the

nerve to call her that in front of the whole school! These girls were

cheering him on to boot! Well she'd show them! She'd show them

all! Her thoughts were dark ones as she and her sister walked to the

main school building.

Within a day, Ranma had become the talk of the school, as his

stand against Kuno in defense of the Amazons was the main topic.

The girls of Furinkan were also enthusiastic about him. Not only was

he a hunk but by telling those Akane-chasing boys off, he made

many of them realize that the 'beat-Akane-so-you-can-date-her'

routine was just plain stupid. After all, they knew that Kuno was not

exactly what a person would call sane. So what did that make them for

following that rule? As a result, many of the girls had begun to get

apologies from a few former Akane challengers for ignoring them.

The females of the school were once again getting date offers, but

many of them still wished to go out with the one who respected their

gender. An Amazon by the name of Ranma Saotome.

As the day went on, Akane's temper had climbed up several

notches. It was nothing but Ranma this and Ranma that. Her friends

were always whispering about him and it did not do her vanity any

good as her popularity began to decline. It was around 3:00 p.m. that

she had finally had enough and made a decision. The school had all

but forgotten about her and there were even more insinuations that

he was a better martial artist than she was. That last comment struck

her where she was most sensitive. She had trained and trained and

she was proud of her status as a martial artist. No stupid boy was

going to take that away from her! As she thought about it, she also

considered the fact that her father wanted her to marry him to carry

on the dojo. If no WHEN she defeated him, then she could show to

all that she is second to none and prove to her father that he wasn't

worthy to take over the Tendo dojo, thereby canceling the

engagement! She could kill two birds with one stone! With that in

mind, she stomped off to find him.

Ranma was once again sitting beneath the tree near the baseball

field, waiting for the three warrior girls so they could walk home

together. He was rather proud of himself at the moment. His little

demonstration had been very effective as those who attacked him

and the other Amazons had apologized for their behavior and were

now politely asking the girls out. Of course, the three still had their

hopes on snaring Ranma, but at least the suitors were being gently

turned down, instead of being seriously injured. He had also made

some new friends among the male students as he had spent a good

part of the morning healing those injured in the battle. His training

under Jasmine had served him well as a healer as he applied pressure

points and a few herbal remedies to ease their pain and speed up their

recovery. The school nurse was especially grateful as he took care of

much of the workload. He had also been getting more attention from

the female students as they had been asking him if he was seeing

anyone and requested that he play some more melodies on his flute.

Of course, the one person who did not get the message was Kuno.

Even after his body unfroze itself and his shoulders reset themselves,

he was still intent on destroying the 'foul sorcerer.' Only black magic

could have defeated a noble samurai. The pain that had accompanied

his shoulders when they realigned themselves had been excruciating.

Even more so as he couldn't scream out due to his paralyzed larynx.

As a result, he had tried to exact his revenge on the blind martial

artist. So far, he had tried to attack Ranma three times. Unfortunately

for him, that was like trying to approach a sophisticated sensor array.

Ranma's sixth and seventh sense always gave him enough warning

before the insane kendoist could get within fifty feet of him. Ranma

would defeat him quickly and efficiently. On these occasions, Ranma

realized that just about nothing short of a mortal injury would get the

Blue Thunder to use that tiny thing in his head. His brain. Ranma was

trained primarily as a healer, so he would not use any lethal

techniques unless there was no other option. With that in mind,

Ranma settled on just humiliating the kendoist every time he attacked

him.

The first time, Kuno tried to cleave his skull in half, but a quick jab

of an index finger plus the Advanced Breaking Point, reduced his

bokken to sawdust. Kuno found himself in the pool again. The

second time around, he thought that he could rush him from the side.

That too met with failure as Ranma leapt over the slash and delivered

a pressure point attack to his hands, causing them to release his

weapon. Kuno's face was then introduced to the school's flagpole.

The third attack was by far the most embarrassing for the kendoist.

Kuno had tried to leap at him from the top of a storage shed, hoping

that the sun would blind his opponent. Sure enough, Ranma did look

up. However, casual flick of his battle staff intercepted Kuno and

sent him flying into the girl's locker room. The cries of 'pervert' and

'peeping tom' echoed loudly as the girls pummeled Kuno into the

tiled floor.

Ranma shook his head as he thought about the enemy that he had

made. He was a very pathetic enemy to be sure, but it seemed that the

constant poundings from Akane had made him either highly resistant

to pain, or totally brain-dead. Ranma opted for the latter theory.

Just as his thoughts turned to Akane, his seventh sense picked up

something entering his area. Concentrating his sixth sense, he

detected a small amount of ki energy that was mostly unfocused. The

battle aura that was being generated was relatively small and without

discipline or focus, implying a relatively low level of skill in the art, as

compared to him or even the novices of the tribe. Of course, he could

detect some considerable potential but Ranma doubted that she

could develop it anytime soon. Judging by the angry emotions being

directed at him and how her footsteps were too loud, it could only be

one person. Using his sharp sense of smell, he confirmed who it was.

"RANMA SAOTOME! I CHALLENGE YOU!" The Tendo girl took

a stance.

This announcement caught the attention of all those present. The

crowds of students who had been milling about the school grounds

stopped in their tracks and turned to where they heard Akane shout

out her challenge. This was a first. Akane Tendo, the star of the daily

morning battles and confirmed boy-hater, was actually challenging a

boy to a fight! The crowds began to converge on the spot near the

tree in order to watch. Nabiki and her cronies were among them,

taking bets. Today had certainly become interesting.

"Did you hear that?"

"Akane just challenged that new guy!"

"Check it out!"

"Three thousand yen on Akane!"

"Two thousand on Akane!"

"Five thousand on Ranma!"

"Hey! If Ranma wins, then that means that he becomes her

boyfriend right?"

Ranma casually got up and leaned against the tree, crossing his

arms and not saying a word. Akane took this lack of a response as

another slight to her.

"Well?"

Ranma cocked his head slightly to one side and replied, "Well

what?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said I challenge you!"

"I heard you the first time." Ranma said with a bored and slightly

annoyed tone. "So what?"

"Are you being a coward? Are you refusing my challenge?"

Ranma shrugged, as he said, "No. As an Amazon, I must accept all

challenges. However, I don't think you'd be much of a challenge for

me. Check that. You wouldn't be a challenge at all."

"What did you say?" Akane's anger began to reach a new

high, as her voice became low and deadly.

Ranma shrugged again. "I didn't know that you were hard of

hearing. I said "

"ARRRRGGHHHH!" Akane rushed forward and started swinging.

Ranma however, had already sensed the attack and deftly dodged it.

Before Akane knew it, her outstretched arm was grabbed and she was

tossed to the right like a rag doll. She landed on her face on the

ground as Ranma casually turned around to face her. He stood in a

neutral stance with his hands behind his back.

"A predictable charge." The blind boy said calmly as he waited for

the girl to get up.

Akane growled as she rose and tried another punch to his face.

This too was easily dodged as her forward momentum put her off

balance. A simple leg trip by Ranma and Akane was on her belly

again.

"Too easy."

Akane got up again and attacked. A moment later and she was

down again.

"Not even child's play."

"Grrr! Hold still!"

Thump!

Akane was pushed into the tree.

"All bark and no bite."

"ARRRGGHHH!"

Whump!

Akane was on her backside.

"Shall I get you a seat cushion?"

"ONE MORE TIME!"

Thump!

Akane was eating bark again.

"All that bark isn't healthy you know. You should eat more rice."

"DIE YOU STUPID BOY!"

Whump!

"This is getting really boring. If you don't have anything new to

show me, then you should quit now."

"ARRRRGGGHHH!"

Akane lunged forward, but Ranma was already within her defenses

as he extended an arm and casually flicked a finger at the tip of

Akane's nose, then stepped out of the path of her haymaker.

The youngest daughter of Soun Tendo stepped back and held her

nose, which was stinging a bit.

"A novice could have blocked that one Akane." Ranma said with a

casual tone.

"DIE!"

"Not likely." Ranma replied as he once again tripped her.

The fight, if one could call it that, went on for several minutes as

Ranma easily danced around Akane's clumsy attacks. By now,

Akane had become winded and slightly bruised as Ranma used only

enough force to counter her moves. So far, he had only redirected the

force of her attacks so that they would make her fall down or cause

some minor injury to herself. Whatever hits he made against her were

intended more as insults than actual attacks. It had been ridiculously

easy as his enhanced senses picked up all of her techniques and

analyzed her fighting style. Of course, her martial arts skills were

overrated as far as he was concerned.

Meanwhile, Akane had become so angry, that all she could see

was a red haze. Ranma was making a mockery of her skills. Not one of

her attacks had even come close to hitting him. Her temper finally

reached its apex as she shouted out without considering the

consequences of her words.

"YOU BASTARD! JERK! PIG! I'LL BEAT YOU! THERE'S NO

WAY THAT I'D MARRY A JERK LIKE YOU!"

There was a collective gasp in the crowd as they heard this

statement. Ranma however, had been expecting something like this,

given yesterday's events. It was then that he made a move. Brushing

aside two of Akane's punches like a man who was casually swatting

away a couple of flies, he moved forward and

Whap! Whap!

Akane staggered back and held her cheek. He had not put any

considerable force in the blows, but the insult was still there. He

slapped her! Her! Akane Tendo! No one got away with that!

"YOU "

Whap! Whap!

Another double slap by Ranma and Akane was again stunned.

Ranma simply stood as he crossed his arms. "What's the matter

Akane? Not used to an opponent who can fight back? What? You

were expecting me to just hold still and take your physical and verbal

abuse? By the way, would you stop with the name-calling? I feel like

I'm talking to a five-year old."

"You are nothing but a stupid boy! All boys are perverts and my

father must have been out his mind when he engaged me to you!"

Akane spat out as she prepared to attack him again. By now, the

crowds had begun whispering to themselves.

"Akane's engaged to Ranma?"

"Oh no! There goes our chance for happiness!"

"Aw! And I was just about to beat her too!"

Ranma's expression became stern as he replied. "Your calling me

those names just because I'm a boy does nothing but show your

own ignorance. We've only just met yesterday and you're already

putting me in the same category as the others? This is stupid and I

won't take this any more." Ranma suddenly blurred forward and used

a series of pressure points. Like Kuno, Akane found her body locked

up in mid-strike.

Akane couldn't believe that she had lost so easily and tried to

move. However, she found that she couldn't as she was forced to

listen to Ranma.

"I win."

"Cheater!"

"Don't make excuses Akane." Ranma said simply. "Your defense

is lousy, your reflexes are too slow and your fighting style is way too

easy to predict. You wouldn't have even been considered as a novice

back in my village."

Akane growled as she tried to lash out at him. Unfortunately for

her, it was a futile effort, as her limbs still wouldn't respond.

Ranma shook his head. "Just because you can punch and kick

doesn't mean anything. Judging from your performance, you've had

maybe three years of training. Four tops and not very intensive. So

what if you can beat up those boys every morning? Considering that

they have very little to no skill in the martial arts and the fact that

Kuno holds back a lot only shows that you've let those little

successes go to your head."

Ranma sensed her struggles and sighed in disgust. Akane was

nothing more than a spoiled brat. She had been getting away with her

behavior and attitude for too long. "Akane, don't even bother. Those

pressure points I used will keep you paralyzed for about an hour.

Face facts Akane. I beat you." Ranma paused for a second as he

used his senses on the girl. Finding only loathing and disgust

directed against him, Ranma shook his head and turned around. He

had his fill of this person as he calmly walked back toward the school.

"Hey! Don't turn your back on me you jerk! We're not finished

yet!"

Ranma didn't turn to face her as replied, "As far as I'm concerned,

we're done." He then decided to add one of Cologne's favorite

phrases. "You're about a hundred years too early to give me any

challenge."

On the sidelines, Nabiki was being bombarded with questions as

the crowds tried to get the scoop on how Akane and Ranma were

engaged. The middle sister smiled as she began charging them for the

information, which would more than make up for the losses on the

outcome of the fight.

Once she had finished her business transactions, she walked over

to where her sister was still frozen. Fortunately for Akane, no one had

tried to take advantage of her, although a lowly student named

Hikaru Gosunkugi was gleefully taking pictures of her from behind

the tree. He especially got excited when an errant gust of wind blew

up Akane's skirt for a brief moment. It was then that he felt a tap on

his shoulder. He turned and flinched when he saw Nabiki.

"Okay Voodoo Spike, hand it over."

"No!" This was probably the only chance he'd have of a picture of

Akane's undies.

"Would you like me to reveal to the school board about that

messy incident last Friday?"

Voodoo Spike frowned as considered his choice. A moment later,

he reluctantly gave Nabiki his camera and went off to sulk.

Nabiki smiled as she mentally made a note to have the film

developed. Kuno would pay big bucks for these shots. She then

walked over to her sister with a bit of a smug look. Although she did

love her sibling, she had been getting a little jealous of all the

attention Akane had been getting when Kuno made that decree. As a

result, neither she nor the other girls in school had a chance of

getting a date. The spoiled little princess had thought that she was

the center of the universe. The middle sister smiled as she thought

about Ranma. Not only was he not interested in her violent maniac of

a sister, but also he did not let Akane get away with her temper

tantrums. It also didn't hurt that he was tall, dark, and handsome and

was in possession of several unique skills. Just seeing his

performance today offered up more opportunities for profit.

Hmmm maybe I should talk to Daddy about this engagement

thing.

Near the tree, Akane was still frozen in place as she silently fumed.

The students were going to have a field day with this. Ranma beating

her would make people assume that she would have to date him. That

and the revelation of the engagement only made things worse. She

regretted saying that in front of the whole school. However, the most

irritating thing about this whole mess was that Ranma had defeated

her. She had lost to a boy! It was so humiliating! She was supposed

to be the best! She wasn't going to take this, especially from a boy!

She'll prove to all that she was the best! Just you wait Ranma! I'll

beat you! You're going to see what a 'true' martial artist is capable

of!

"I know what you're thinking of Akane."

Akane could only move her eyes and saw Nabiki off to her right.

"If you think you can beat Ranma, forget it. Judging from what

I've seen, you are nowhere near his level in skill, power or anything

to do with the martial arts.

"Who asked you Nabiki?" Akane retorted angrily. "I'll beat him!

You'll see! There's no way that I'm going to let a boy show me up!"

"Now, now Akane. Is that any way to talk about your fianc e?"

"HE'S NOT MY FIANC E!"

Nabiki sighed as she waited for the paralysis to wear off.

Near the outskirts of Tokyo, a certain lost boy with a black and

gold bandanna was near exhaustion. It had taken him a week to

finally find the right route and he smiled in anticipation for his long-

awaited revenge.

Ranma Saotome! Prepare to die!

At the end of the day, Ranma and the Amazons returned to

Pepper's Place. After completing their homework, the girls decided to

go out and see the sights in Tokyo. Ranma declined their offer to go

with them. Pepper had decided to show them around and left the

running of her establishment to one of her assistant managers. A

while later, Ranma was sitting on the roof of the building, seemingly

staring at the sunset. That is, if he could see the sunset. A few

moments later, his sixth sense, hearing and sense of smell picked up

the approach of Cologne.

"You seem troubled." Cologne said as she at down beside him. "Is

there anything that you'd like to talk about?"

Ranma was about to say no, then sighed. "It's nothing really

important Elder. I'm just thinking about a few things."

"Please Ranma, you may call me Cologne. I hear that you stood up

for the girls at the school today."

Ranma shrugged and gave her a bemused smile. "Well, it's not like

they couldn't have stood up for themselves."

"Why did you stop that decree of Kuno's? It would have been

impossible for any of those boys to have defeated them anyway."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I had some practical reasons to why I

stopped it."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one thing, those boys were nowhere near the skill level

of Shampoo, Cologne or Perfume. Heck! Even with them holding

back, those guys still got hurt a lot more seriously than they ever did

with Akane. If they did that daily, then well, it wouldn't have been

pretty."

"I see. So you were concerned for their welfare."

"Partly that, but I was also concerned for the girls too."

"Oh?" Cologne became very interested. Ranma was showing

concern for her great-granddaughter.

"Yeah. Fighting against those mobs wouldn't have provided them

with any challenge and that would cause them to lose their edge. I

mean, you've seen Akane Tendo fight right? She's gotten so used to

the morning battles that she's fallen into a pattern. She's had no

incentive to improve and her skills have become stagnated. I beat her

so easily that it was embarrassing! I don't want Shampoo or the

others to become careless and then lose to a weak outsider. I'm sure

that they don't want to end up married to an idiot like Kuno."

"Ah. You were thinking of law number forty-three, correct?"

Ranma nodded. "Although our tribal laws may be strange to

outsiders, I understand the meaning behind them. I was just making

sure that the girls wouldn't get into a situation like that."

"Very thoughtful of you Ranma. I'm sure that the girls appreciate

the gesture but you needn't have bothered."

"Huh?"

Cologne smiled at Ranma's confusion as she explained. "It pleases

me that you have taken our laws and customs in your heart.

However, since you have only memorized the traditional laws in

which Jasmine has taught you, I am not surprised that you are

unaware of the revisions to law number forty-three."

"Revisions?"

"Yes. Jasmine only taught you the traditional laws, as she never

expected you to leave the village. But you see, about twenty years

ago, our tribe had decided to break free from our isolation. To that

end, we began sending out our most promising members to study the

outside world. Our group is only one of many. We have sent

Amazons not only to Japan, but also to Russia, England, Italy, France

and even to America. It didn't take the Council long to realize that the

Kiss of Death and Kiss of Marriage would cause conflict with the

laws of those foreign lands. After much debate, they had decreed

that the Kiss of Marriage and Death would not apply to any female

Amazon who happened to be studying abroad as they feel that it

would distract her from getting an education."

"So even if they had lost to outsiders, then they wouldn't have

been forced to marry or kill them?"

"That is correct. The only time that it would affect an Amazon is if

she is formally challenged and that the duel is in the presence of an

Elder. In this case, me. And also remember that I will have the final

decision on the outcome."

"That's good to know Cologne." Ranma paused in his thoughts

and then posed another question. "Cologne, you said that a female

Amazon wouldn't be affected by law number forty-three if she was

studying abroad. What about law number forty-four?"

Cologne sighed sadly, as she knew the meaning behind the

question. "I'm afraid that it is still in effect. Should an outsider girl

defeat you, then you would have to marry her. The Council did not

think to revise that rule since males did not have to worry about the

Kiss of Death."

"I see." Ranma nodded in thought. "It's a good thing that I beat

Akane Tendo then." He shuddered at the thought of being married to

such an ill-tempered girl.

"Yes, and I would advise you to keep the knowledge of that law to

yourself. If that good-for-nothing father of yours ever learned of it,

then it would be a tool to use against you."

Ranma nodded. His father had caused him enough grief and the

blind boy wanted nothing more to do with him. Genma wanted the

union between the Saotomes and the Tendos. Ranma had sensed it

during the ambush. Well, if this was the one pledge he wanted to

keep, then that was the one that Ranma would refuse the most!

Genma was not going to get away with it! Ranma would NEVER wed

a Tendo!

For a long time nothing was said as the two sat in silence. Cologne

was enjoying the vibrant colors of the setting sun and wished that

Ranma could see them. The blind boy sensed Cologne's pity and

decided to change the mood.

"Oh by the way Cologne. Have you looked into that little matter

that I mentioned this morning?"

Snapping back from her inner thoughts, Cologne nodded as she

replied. "Yes, I have used some of the contacts that I have in Japan

and Pepper had given me the name of a very good private

investigator. She has told me to be wary of him, since he is a bit of a

pervert. However, he is reputed to be one of the best. If anyone can

find your real mother, he will."

The Unseen Light fighter nodded. Other than the fact that he knew

his mother's last name to be Saotome, he had no memories of her.

The last time he had ever seen her was when he was five. That was

the time that Genma had taken him away on his training journey. Less

than a year later, he had been subjected to the Neko Ken training and

had been condemned to live out the rest of his life in darkness.

Ranma's only recollections of the woman who had birthed him

were vague and far too distant. He could only visualize in his mind a

faint, indistinct image of a kind-looking woman, holding up her

laughing son for a photo. He did not know where she lived or even

her first name. Genma had prevented all contact between them and

never let on to her whereabouts. In fact, aside from the occasional

letter that he wrote to her, Ranma would have never known that he

had a mother. Of course, Ranma knew that Genma was not an honest

person and his past actions would not have been approved. By now,

Genma was probably avoiding her until he could regain his son.

"So who is this detective?"

Cologne paused before answering. "His name is Ryo Saeba, but he

is better known as City Hunter."

The very next day, as he and the others came to school, Ranma

and the girls were surprised to see the usual mob of boys at the front

gate. At first they thought they were going to be attacked again, but

Ranma sensed that they were not there for combat. Many of them

were emitting feelings of sadness and acceptance as the head of the

group, a boy from the debating team, stepped forward and addressed

the blind martial artist.

"Ranma Saotome. You have won."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"We accept your engagement to Akane Tendo and acknowledge

your victory over her. We will no longer fight her."

Ranma blanched at this. "What?! I'm not engaged to anyone,

especially not to that brat!" The Amazons also displayed their

displeasure. It was then that Ranma's sixth sense went off and his

seventh sense picked up the approach of someone. Ranma jumped

forward and dodged the bokken strike as he heard a sickeningly

familiar voice.

"NEVER RANMA SAOTOME!"

Ranma was a bit surprised to hear Kuno's voice as he turned to

face off against him. He had thought that he had paralyzed Kuno's

larynx for a week. A quick probe of his opponent revealed that

someone had used the release points to free up Kuno's vocal cords.

Kuno glared at his hated foe with a rage that could burn through

lead. He had been forced to see a specialist in shiatsu in order to get

his voice back. The only specialist in Nerima was a certain Doctor

Tofu Ono.

Flashback

"My word! Whoever did this to you certainly knew what he was

doing." Tofu remarked as he looked over Kuno's throat. A few

successive taps to the right nerves and Kuno gasped out.

"ARRRRGGGGHHHH! THAT HURT!"

The young doctor smiled as he asked in a good-natured tone, "Oh

really? Where does it hurt?"

Kuno stared dumfounded at the good doctor as he realized that he

could speak again. "I can talk! Oh the heavens must surely smile

upon me this day!"

It was then that that the door to the clinic opened up and a certain

young lady entered.

"Why hello Doctor Tofu. I'm hope I'm not disturbing you or

anything."

Instantly, the young man's glasses fogged up and he began

twitching a bit. "K-K-Kasumi! W-w-what a wonderful surprise!"

"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh no! I-I-I was just playing with Betty here!" Tofu reached out

to grab his skeleton, but unfortunately, his aim was a little off. Check

that, it was way off as he grabbed Kuno.

"Now see her my good doctor! I wait! Wh-what are you

ARGH! STOP! OW! YEOW! HOLD IT! OW! OW! OW!"

End flashback

"NEVER RANMA SAOTOME! I WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOUR

ENGAGEMENT TO AKANE!"

Ranma was more than perturbed as he took out his battle staff and

extended it. "Now hold on a second! I'm not engaged to that

tomboy!"

"LIAR! RELEASE YOUR HOLD ON HER!"

Ranma sensed Kuno charging and prepared to counter. It was

then that his sixth and seventh sense detected the approach of

Akane and her sister Nabiki. He also sensed something else

approach. This newest arrival had a far greater ki level that all three

combined and the emotions it was radiating were ones of

depression, anger and extreme rage. These emotions were directed

solely at him. Ranma almost got hit by a slash by Kuno as he used

his senses to gauge the power level of this threat. He then frowned

as he recognized the ki signature. It was a presence in which he had

not felt in three years.

"RANMA SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!"

The blind martial artist leapt up to avoid a figure as it descended

from above. At the same time, Ranma used his seventh sense to

dodge Kuno's bokken and lashed out with a sidekick. Kuno was sent

sprawling as Ranma landed and took a stance, ready to face off

against this latest threat.

The figure landed in a crouching position and caused the

pavement beneath him to explode. The crowds backed off, just as

Akane and her sister came to the front gate. Everyone stood and

waited for the smoke to clear up. When the clouds of dust parted,

they revealed a boy of around sixteen or so, dressed in brown pants,

a yellow, sleeveless shirt, black and gold headband and carrying a

heavy backpack. He was still crouched down and his arms were

holding a massive bamboo umbrella. He gazed at Ranma and smirked,

displaying slight fangs.

"I found you Ranma Saotome."

Ranma gritted his teeth. Things had just gone from bad to worse.

Fighting Blind

This is a disclaimer. Nothing more needs to be said.

Thoughts:

Chapter 7

Ryoga Vs Ranma

"Who is he, Ranma?" Shampoo asked.

Ranma's senses were already gauging the level of skill of Ryoga

as he answered. "He's some guy I knew back in junior high. His

name's Ryoga Hibiki."

The crowds of students were all fixated on the figure that was still

crouched down in a fifteen foot crater and grinning evilly at the blind

boy. On the sidelines, Nabiki and Akane listened in on their

conversation. Akane was especially interested in this newcomer who

had a grudge against Ranma.

"Well, Ranma. I see that you're still good at what you do best.

Running away." Ryoga sneered as he got up.

"He really mad at you Ranma." Perfume said.

"Yes. He no like seeing you." Lilac added.

Ryoga's temper went up a few more levels as he asked in a low

tone. "Before I beat the hell out of you Ranma, there's one thing I

must know!"

"Oh? And what's that?" Ranma said in a calm tone.

"Why weren't you there for the fight?"

Ranma paused for a moment as he thought back to the events of

three years ago. "Fight? What oh wait a minute, you're not

referring to THAT FIGHT are you?"

"Damn right I am! So tell me, you coward!" Ryoga snarled as he

held out his umbrella like a sword. "Why weren't you there?!"

Akane smiled a bit when she heard this. So Ranma's really a

coward is he? All right! Cowardice! This may be just what I need to

get Dad to cancel that stupid engagement and

"But Ryoga! I waited for three days for you to show up!"

Akane's hopes plummeted when she heard this.

"Oh sure you did!" Ryoga said in a sarcastic tone. "You waited for

three days. But when I got there on the fourth day, you already

turned tail and ran!"

"You waited for three days? He came in on the fourth day?"

Shampoo eeped.

Ranma sighed as he said in a tired tone. "Ryoga, let me get me get

this straight. It took you four days to get to the place where we were

supposed to fight, even though it was the empty lot that was behind

your house?"

The crowds began murmuring to themselves.

"Four days to get there?"

"This guy must have the world's worst sense of direction."

"Can't use a map."

"Gets lost easy."

"Shut up Ranma!" Ryoga continued. "You broke a duel of honor

and then you turned and ran back to China!" Ryoga opened his

umbrella. "You have no idea of the kind of suffering that I went

through to get to that lot!"

Ranma slung his staff over on shoulder while bowing his head and

rubbing his temple with a hand, massaging a slight headache. A

gentle tap applied to the correct shiatsu point relieved him of the

pain. "Ryoga, you were the one who set up the date for us to fight.

We were supposed to meet on Tuesday. It's not my fault that you

showed up on Saturday."

"Don't make excuses Ranma! Because of you, I've seen hell! Now

it's time to settle things for good!"

"What? You want to finish that fight?"

"I don't want to finish it! The fight's just begun! This is

REVENGE!" Ryoga then hurled his umbrella at Ranma like a spinning

top.

Ranma's seventh sense was already tracking the flight of the

projectile as it sped toward him. Gauging the amount of ki energy

infused within the umbrella, Ranma shifted to one side, avoiding its

razor sharp edge as it whizzed past him. The students gaped in awe

as the umbrella sliced through a nearby tree branch before returning

to its owner.

"For all you've done to me Ranma, I'm going to destroy your

happiness!" Ryoga screamed as he closed the umbrella and charged

at his hated foe.

Motioning for Shampoo and the others to get back, Ranma held

out his staff and took a ready position. Unlike Kuno, the lost boy's

skill and power levels were far greater, which warranted more caution.

Dodging the first few umbrella strikes, Ranma thrust forward and

jabbed his weapon into Ryoga's chest, driving him back a few steps.

It was then that his sixth sense screamed out in alarm as something

charged at him from behind.

"Ranma Saotome! I fight on!"

Kuno had recovered from his earlier bout with the blind martial

artist and was now charging Ranma from behind. The unseeing

martial artist's seventh sense already projected an image of the

kendoist as he raised his bokken high to strike.

Damn! I don't have time for this! One idiot after me is enough!

Better finish this quick! Ranma ducked and leaned over to the side.

The wooden blade missed his head by a fraction. Ryoga however,

was not as fortunate as he was in the path of the extended weapon

and was struck in the head. Kuno was surprised that his perfect

technique had missed while Ryoga was momentarily stunned by the

hit. This was all the distraction Ranma need as he drove one end of

his staff into Ryoga's gut and directed the other end toward Kuno.

He then focused his ki into his weapon.

"Full extension!"

Vreet!

Both Kuno and Ryoga were driven back as the ends of Ranma's

pole suddenly elongated and plowed into their solar plexuses with

the force of a speeding car. The two antagonists were suddenly

flying backward at extreme velocities as the butt ends pushed them

clear off their feet and kept on going.

"WHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT IIIIIIIISSSSS TTTTTTTTHHHHHHHIIIIISSSSSSS?!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The students who were standing on either side of the fight scene

had to get out of the way as both of Ranma's opponents were sent

speeding backwards. Kuno was slammed into and through the front

gate with a tremendous crash equivalent to a rhino's charge. The

insane kendoist ended up in a pile of rubble with only his legs

sticking out of the heap of concrete and twisted metal. Ryoga plowed

through the front doors of the school as the other end of Ranma's

staff drove him into the building. His form disappeared in a cloud of

dust and flying pieces of wood, metal and other chunks of debris.

To the amazement of all the spectators, Ranma's battle staff had

extended to its full length, an incredible 250 feet! Each opponent had

been driven back 125 feet in two seconds!

"Reduce."

Instantly, the weapon decreased in length and was back at its

usual size of five feet. Ranma took a neutral stance and waited. The

crowds were still in awe and among them; Akane couldn't help but be

impressed. Although she still resented him for her defeat, she began

wondering where she could get a weapon like that.

Ranma listened in with his enhanced hearing and probed with his

sixth and seventh senses for his two opponents. He determined from

the voices in the crowd that Kuno had been rendered unconscious.

As for Ryoga

"Ranma! Where are you?! Come out and fight!" These shouts

were soon drowned out by the sounds of something crashing

through walls and breaking furniture.

The blind fighter sighed as he used his hearing to gauge the

direction of the disturbances. It was heading away from him. Ranma

shook his head as he put away his staff.

"What happening over there?" Lilac asked as she and her sister

Amazons walked up to him. They watched in amazement as Ryoga

tore up the school looking for Ranma. Eventually, the sounds died

out as Ryoga came out of the school on the other side and went

charging off over the horizon.

Ranma shook his head. "That moron can't take more than a dozen

steps without getting hopelessly lost. I'd give him a week before we

see him again."

The rest of the school day went by without any significant event.

Akane had planned to challenge Ranma that day but after seeing him

take out both Kuno and Ryoga with hardly any effort, she had

decided that she needed to train more. Not that she would admit it,

but Ranma's display did tell her that defeating him would be not be

as simple as she thought it would be. Of course, she wouldn't admit

that she was intimidated, nope, not her.

Kuno on the other hand, had a flat line for a learning curve as he

tried to attack Ranma and free Akane from her unholy engagement to

the vile miscreant, not to mention save his beauteous Amazon

flowers. The insane kendoist spent more time in the nurse's office

than in his classes.

When Ranma and the girls returned to Pepper's Place, Cologne

informed the Unseen Light fighter that he had received a letter of

challenge from Ryoga.

"What it say?" Lilac asked.

Ranma ran his fingers over the ink as he read the letter. "Ranma

Saotome, I challenge you to a fight at the soccer field at Furinkan

High on Thursday afternoon. Be ready or else."

"Aiya. Thursday is tomorrow." Perfume commented.

"Don't worry about it." Ranma shrugged as he crumpled up the

letter and tossed it into a nearby trash pail. "That guy is absolutely

clueless when it comes to maps and directions. I'd give him five days

at least. Knowing him, he's probably in Kyoto by now." He then

headed up the stairs to his room.

Sure enough, in Kyoto

"No you moron! Tokyo is THAT WAY!"

Ryoga nodded as he headed off in the direction opposite to where

the merchant had indicated. Ranma! I swear that you'll pay for all

my suffering! You were just lucky that last time! I didn't get a chance

to go full out against you! Mark my words, when we meet again,

you'll be begging for mercy! Now which way did he say was

Tokyo?

That evening, as the Amazons prepared to go to sleep, two

shadowy figures moved closer to the back entrance of the building.

Genma and Soun were both wearing dark clothes and had

handkerchiefs tied over the heads. As they waited for the lights to go

out, they began reviewing their plan to snatch Ranma and bring him

to the dojo. After the last light went out, they quietly leapt to the top

of nearby roof and then made their way toward a window at the rear

of Pepper's building, on the second floor. After much effort, they

managed to pry the window open and slip inside. Well, Soun slipped

inside. Genma got stuck halfway. Unfortunately, Soun had only

managed to open the window halfway and it wouldn't go any further

to accommodate Genma's wider bulk. Soun muttered something in

frustration as he grabbed both of Genma's outstretched arms, and

braced one foot up against the wall. He heaved with all his might as

he tried to pull his fat friend through the tight opening. With a final

grunt, Soun finally managed to yank Genma into the building. The

father of Ranma Saotome made a loud splat when his body hit the

floor.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Both men quickly stood up and

held a finger up to their lips. They cautiously looked around for any

sign that their entrance had been detected.

"Do you think they heard that Tendo?" Genma whispered.

The two waited for a long while, before deciding that everyone

was still asleep. The two tiptoed their way toward the bedrooms

where Shampoo, Lilac, Perfume and Ranma slept. Soun smiled with

anticipation as he saw that the room at the other end of the hall bore

Ranma's name on the door. Motioning to his friend, they quietly

made their way and slipped inside.

The two men almost cried out in joy as they saw a mass on the

bed, seemingly asleep. Soun crept up to the bed and withdrew a small

cloth that had been dipped in chloroform.

"Forgive me son, but this for the good of the schools! You'll thank

me for this later!" Soun's eyes were filled with tears as he prepared to

strike.

Genma watched with glee, as Soun was about to apply the rag to

his son's mouth. It was then that he noticed a small, leather-bound

book on a nearby drawer. Noting that it was written in an ancient

dialect, the dim light bulb in his head clicked on. Hey! That's looks

like a training manual! After fighting the Amazons for eight years,

Genma knew that the warrior women were in possession of some

powerful techniques. The thought of having such potent martial arts

moves was all the incentive Genma needed to pocket the book into

the front of his gi without bothering to look at its contents. Of

course, this was the same line of thinking that Genma had when he

came across the training manual of the Neko Ken.

In one fell swoop; Soun's hand came down over the top of the

curled bundle. That was when all hell broke loose.

The lights suddenly went on and the two whirled around. Soun

blanched as he found himself face-to-face with Pepper again. The

owner of the building was none too pleased with seeing him or his

friend. Both men became even more horrified as they also noted that

she wasn't alone. Cologne, Ranma and the three Amazon girls were

also present and they were brandishing their weapons while taking

battle stances.

"Tendo?" Genma looked at his friend with apprehension.

Soun could only gulp, as he turned back toward the bed and threw

the covers and blankets to the side. His face registered shock as he

stared at the two pillows that had been under the blankets.

"Uh oh."

From outside of the establishment, one could hear a tremendous

row as war cries in Chinese were shouted out, followed by the

screams of terror and pain of two would-be kidnappers. There were

several crashes as furniture was tossed about.

"Genma! I kill."

"Die stupid panda man!"

"You no want get womans of Amazons mad!"

Then a familiar shout was heard.

"SOY SAUCE SENDOFF!"

Both Soun and Genma were flung out of a window as a huge

torrent of soy sauce basted them out of the building. They tumbled

to the street and landed face-first on the pavement, along with

several chairs and a table. The two bruised and battered disciples of

Happosai quickly picked themselves up and fled the scene, tripping

over themselves several times.

Inside the restaurant, Ranma went about helping the others to

clean up the mess. His sixth sense had already alerted him of his

father's approach and his seventh sense had located him and his

friend when they came onto the roof. Their footsteps were too quiet

for any normal person to hear, but Ranma's enhanced sense of

hearing picked them up easily. It was a simple matter to alert the

others of their unwanted visitors and prepare for them.

Unfortunately, due to the excitement of the event and the need to

clean up the place for business the next day, Ranma and the others

had totally missed the fact that something important was gone. It was

Ranma's copy of the book of tribal law.

Both Soun and Genma were totally exhausted when they reached

the dojo. When Genma bent over to catch his breath, the book

dropped out and landed on the ground with a splat.

"Saotome. What's this?" Soun asked as he reached over and

picked up the book.

"Huh?" Genma stood up and looked at what his friend had in his

hands. He replied in a slightly embarrassed tone. "Errrrrr I guess "

Hoping to change the subject, Genma asked, "What does it say?"

Soun gave him an irritated look. He knew that Genma was prone to

pilfering, an aftereffect to their training with Happosai. He opened the

book and started to read. A moment later, his eyes opened wide in

surprise and then narrowed as he tossed the book away.

"What did it say Tendo?"

"You know perfectly well that we both can't read a word of

Chinese."

"Let me see that." Genma retrieved the book and opened it up.

Sure enough, the text was in Chinese. That is whatever pages weren't

completely soaked with sauce. It was then that Genma recognized a

few sentences in Japanese. As soon as he read it, he began jumping

for joy.

"What is it Saotome?"

"Tendo! This is it! The pledge will be fulfilled! It's a good thing

that you did choose Akane to marry my son!"

"Huh?"

"Read this!"

Tendo took the book and read where Genma indicated. "Amazon

Law number forty-four. In the event that an male member of the tribe

is defeated by a female outsider "

The streets were soon echoing with the sounds of two middle-

aged men jumping and shouting for joy.

As expected, Ranma did come to the soccer field on Thursday and

Ryoga was nowhere to be seen. The blind boy had expected as much,

but he had come to the appointed time for honor's sake. When it was

clear to all that Ryoga was not going to show up, Ranma and the

others headed for home. He had several days to train before Ryoga

would appear and he wanted to be ready. His senses had detected

certain ki abilities in the Hibiki boy. On that note, Koga's student

began an intense regimen of training behind Pepper's establishment

each day after school. He didn't consider Kuno's constant attacks as

good practice since it was too easy to beat that idiot.

At the Tendo dojo, another person was hard at work trying to

improve her skills. Akane had been breaking several stacks of bricks

and smashing training posts in an attempt to gain a level of skill equal

to Ranma's. Her humiliating defeat, plus the fact that her father and

Genma were constantly pushing for her to marry him only fueled her

desire to beat the Unseen Light martial artist. In fact, they saw her

determination to beat Ranma as some misguided path to win Ranma's

love. To them they thought that it was just her way of expressing her

affection. After all, if she could beat Ranma, then it would be easier to

bring him to the dojo right? Of course, they did not tell her about that

certain law they had learned from Ranma's book.

"That's it Akane! Go get your fianc e!"

"They're the perfect couple!" Genma added.

"Saotome! Let's get the wedding preparations ready when my little

girl brings home her groom!"

"I AM NOT MARRYING THAT JERK! I'M JUST GOING TO

BEAT HIM INTO A PULP!"

Soun and Genma were of course oblivious to her words as they

were caught up in their daydreams of the two of them marrying and

taking over the dojo. That meant that they could start on their

luxurious retirement early. They had planned to tell Akane about the

law of the Amazons after she had defeated Ranma as a form of

wedding gift.

It was a warm Thursday afternoon the following week as Ryoga

finally made it to the soccer field at Furinkan High. The crowds

gathered there were huge and just about the entire student

population had showed up to witness the fight. Girls were cheering

on Ranma as he and the Amazons appeared on the field. On the

sidelines, Nabiki and her cronies were collecting wagers as the

students placed their bets on the outcome.

"Step right up! It's the fight you've all been waiting for! Ranma or

Ryoga! Win a bundle!"

Ryoga snarled and waited in anticipation as his archenemy

appeared. His chance for vengeance would not be denied. Soon, the

cause of his suffering would know pain and sorrow as he beat him to

a bloody mess.

Akane sat with her friends on the sidelines as she watched Ranma

and his entourage approach the center of the field. She had gotten to

the place early as she had no intention of missing this fight. This was

an opportunity to truly see what Ranma was capable of. His fights

with Kuno were jokes and her fight with him didn't count. She would

observe him and analyze his fighting style. If there were techniques

that she didn't know of, she would learn them. Then, when she

challenged him again, she would crush him. Akane smiled as she saw

an image of herself standing over Ranma's battered form, with him

begging for mercy. It wouldn't be an easy victory, but that would

make it even more satisfying.

"We're going to settle things once and for all Ranma!" Ryoga

declared as Ranma came up and stopped a dozen feet from where he

was standing.

"Whatever Ryoga." Ranma said nonchalantly as he turned his

head to Cologne. "Honored elder. As this is a duel of honor, do you

bear witness to my accepting his challenge?" He bowed his head to

her in a gesture of respect.

"I do." Cologne said solemnly. Business was slow at Pepper's

Place so the Amazons had opted to witness Ranma's battle against

Ryoga. As this was a duel of honor with a tribe member, Cologne

made it a point to be present. She was pleased that Ranma was well

versed in their traditions. "Bring victory and honor to our tribe." The

matriarch motioned for the girls to follow and soon they were seated

on the sidelines.

Ranma then turned to Ryoga as he sneered at him. "Hiding behind

those girls won't save you Ranma! You were only lucky the last time

when you escaped me."

"I didn't run away Ryoga. You got lost!" Ranma slid into a ready

stance.

"Shut up!" Ryoga raged as he brought up his umbrella and also

took up a stance.

As the two faced off, Nabiki was busy talking to her lieutenants.

"Okay, the take is two hundred and twenty-five thousand yen."

One of the girls said as she totaled up the bets n a small calculator.

"Looks like they've all placed their bets on Ranma."

"Nabiki are you sure about this?" Another flunky asked. "If

Ranma wins, he'll bankrupt us!"

"Trust me girls, I'm a professional." Nabiki assured them.

"Fight!" Ryoga screamed as he charged at Ranma with his

umbrella.

Ranma's seventh sense gave him a mental image of his opponent

as he jabbed at his face with his weapon. A slight shift to one side,

and the point of the instrument missed his head with millimeters to

spare. His sixth sense began assessing his opponent as Ryoga made

a series of strikes with the umbrella.

Hmmm. Pretty high in terms of strength and endurance. Better

defense than Akane or Kuno's but not by much. Fighting style is

focusing mainly on delivering power blows. Ranma deftly dodged

each of Ryoga's attacks, then retaliated by delivering several kicks to

Ryoga's midsection. Each kick hit with sound impact, but the lost

boy only grunted a bit and stepped back a little.

"Hah! I hardly felt those, Ranma!" The Hibiki boy leapt back and

threw his umbrella.

On the sidelines, Shampoo said, "Ranma is not going full out."

Cologne nodded. "Ranma is just testing out his opponent's skills.

He usually does that with every new person that he meets. He'll be

getting more serious soon enough."

The razor-edged umbrella made a beeline straight toward Ranma's

head, but his since it was a ki technique, Ranma instantly analyzed

the technique. With a blurring motion with his right arm, he caught

the umbrella by its handle and in one smooth motion, he hurled it

back at its owner. Ryoga was a bit shocked to see his own weapon

hurtling back at him. Leaping off to one side, he avoided being cut by

the bamboo projectile and charged in at Ranma.

The umbrella went on and eventually tumbled to a stop near

Akane. Two boys who were close by went to inspect the thing as the

youngest Tendo sister listened in on their conversation.

"Hey, check out this umbrella."

The other boy grasped its handle and tried to pick it up. After a bit

of an effort, he then tried to lift it with both hands. He still couldn't

budge it.

"What the heck is this thing made of? It weighs a ton!"

Akane was surprised to hear this as she went over to where the

boys were and tried to lift it herself. Even with both hands, she could

only slightly move it.

Wow! This thing's heavy! Wait a second! Akane looked back

at where Ranma and Ryoga were exchanging blows. That Ryoga

guy carries this around one-handed? She then remembered how

casually Ranma tossed it back. No way! Ranma can't be THAT

strong!

While Akane was still denying the possibility that Ranma was

better than she was, Ryoga was getting frustrated. Not one of his

blows had landed, as Ranma seemed to literally dance around them. It

was almost as if Ranma knew when and where he would throw a

punch and kick. The hits that Ranma were landing were also

indicators that he had underestimated his foe's abilities. They were

starting to hurt and it was beginning to dawn on him that Ranma had

been holding back a little.

If Ryoga only knew that Ranma was actually holding back A LOT,

then he would have been more intimidated. Living with the Amazons

for eight years had not only given the blind boy extraordinary speed

and agility, but it had also greatly increased his strength and

endurance. It also helped when one of Ranma's frequent sparring

partners had been the giantess Dowel. When facing off against a

seven foot Amazon that was capable of snapping a man in half like a

toothpick, a person HAD to get stronger. The force of her hammerlike

blows had toughened Ranma's body with the same effectiveness as

the Backusai Tenketsu training. This was one of the reasons why

Ranma usually used pressure points, since his punches and kicks

could hit with the impact of a speeding truck. Right now however,

with all the troubles in his life, Ranma was in the mood to let off a

little tension and pressure points weren't as satisfying as punches

and kicks.

Ryoga took a few dozen more blows to the chest and midsection

before backing off. Ranma's punches and kicks were steadily hitting

with more power and the Hibiki boy had yet to score a good hit.

Taking a few more steps back, he grabbed the bandanna off his

forehead. This revealed another bandanna tied to his head. The lost

boy twirled the piece of cloth in his hand, then launched it at his

opponent.

Ranma's sixth sense went off like a fire alarm in his head as his

seventh sense tracked the flight of the thrown piece of cloth.

Gauging the way the ki in the bandanna was focused, the Unseen

Light martial artist immediately assessed that letting it hit him was not

a good idea. Ducking out of the way, his seventh sense followed the

projectile's flight path as it sped toward the crowds behind him. The

mass of spectators also ducked for cover as the cloth whizzed over

them and sliced through the chainlink fence behind them. There were

several gasps of amazement after witnessing such a feat.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things Ryoga! You

could hurt someone by accident!"

Royga paid no heed as he fired off several more of the makeshift

shurikens. Ranma's senses read his anger and realized that it was

making him reckless in his obsession to beat him. His seventh sense

was now gauging a dozen of the ki energized projectiles hurtling

toward him. Knowing that evading them would endanger the crowds

behind him, he instantly made his battle staff appear and elongated it.

Carefully focusing his ki into the pole, he began twirling it like a

propeller. On the other side, Ryoga snorted. His Iron Cloth technique

would slice through Ranma's weapon and him like a hot knife

through butter. His opinion changed however as his bandannas

suddenly disappeared when they made contact with the spinning

staff. A moment later, Ranma stopped twirling his weapon and held it

out parallel to the ground.

The eyes of the crowds and Ryoga widened as they saw that each

bandanna was neatly draped over the ends of the staff. Ranma

smiled. It had been a simple matter to gauge the ki energies of each

piece of cloth, then use his ki in the staff to counter them. Once the

bandannas made contact with his ki-energized weapon, they became

ordinary pieces of cloth again as the two ki energies canceled each

other out.

The blind boy began spinning his staff again and then with a

twisting motion, he sent Ryoga's bandannas flying right back at him.

The lost boy screamed as he was suddenly made the target of his

own technique. He barely managed to evade the bandannas as they

nicked his pants and cut a couple of holes in the sides of his shirt.

Ranma smirked as he sensed the lost boy's shock and tracked the

flight path of the cloth missiles. As he had intended, he threw the

bandannas back with only enough energy to put Ryoga back on the

defensive. The bandannas soon lost their momentum and became

harmless again as they landed far short of the crowds.

"Grrr! Ranma, you're going to pay for that!" He couldn't believe

that Ranma could catch on to one of the Hibiki family secrets so

quickly.

Ranma stood in a ready stance and waited for his opponent's next

move. Ryoga began charging at him and threw a series of punches

that would have made holes in concrete walls. Each blow was

countered with the staff or dodged as Ranma's sixth sense gave him

a split-second warning each time Ryoga threw a punch. It seemed

that the lost boy would never be able to score a hit, but then Ryoga

grinned as he suddenly leapt back and held up an arm. The crowds

were surprised to see a handcuff latched onto Ryoga's wrist. The

bracelet was attached to a thin, five-foot line and Ranma then noticed

that his right wrist also had a handcuff on it.

"What's the big idea Ryoga?" Ranma asked in an even tone.

"What's this for?" Ranma had sensed Ryoga putting the cuff on him,

but he had been too busy dodging.

"Just making sure that you don't run away." Ryoga sneered as he

charged at his foe.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't run away! You

got lost!" Ranma ducked under a haymaker then delivered a sidekick

to Ryoga's gut, driving him back again. However, he was yanked a

bit forward as the line pulled taut. Ryoga took advantage of Ranma

being momentarily off balance and charged at him again. Ranma was

about a fraction of a second too slow as he tried to step away.

Ryoga's kick impacted with Ranma's chin, causing his body to snap

up. Ranma also lost his grip on his staff as he fell backward.

Ranma curled his body into a tuck and roll to absorb the impact,

then vaulted back to his feet, just as Ryoga tried to stomp on him.

Ranma bent down and then drove his head up and into Ryoga's chin.

The lost boy was driven to the ground on his back. This time

however, Ranma remembered the line and braced himself as Ryoga's

body hit the soil. Then Ranma displayed his full Amazonian strength

as he jerked at the line with that single hand and had Ryoga's body

in the air. With a smooth motion, Ranma slammed his opponent to the

ground, making a fair-sized depression in the field. Ranma jerked the

line again and repeated the process. Again and again, Ryoga was

slammed to the ground and the lost boy soon realized that attaching

himself to Ranma had not been a good idea. The crowds winced with

each time Hibiki's body made contact with the ground. Finally, the

blind boy decided to end it by spinning Ryoga's body around by the

line. After a few dozen rotations, Ranma cut his ties with Ryoga.

Since he didn't have the keys to the cuffs, he improvised. Using his

seventh sense, he located the locking mechanism to his handcuff.

With his free hand, he used his index finger and applied a

concentrated amount of ki into the hole. There was a snapping sound

as the latch broke apart, thereby freeing his wrist.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ryoga went flying and landed on his back some twenty feet away.

Ranma took this opportunity to calm down and retrieve his staff.

Once his center of focus was achieved, he took a defensive stance

and waited.

Ryoga groggily got to his feet and was fuming with rage. He

wobbled a little as was still a bit dizzy from all that spinning around,

but he soon came out of it. He angrily took out the key to his

handcuff and unlocked it. Throwing it away, he got into an

aggressive stance and screamed out. "That does it Ranma! No more

games! This ends now!" His body suddenly flared up as a bright

green aura surrounded him.

The crowds were more than intrigued by this new development.

"Whoa! What's that?"

"Check it out! It's like those special effects on TV!"

"What is that?"

On the sidelines, Akane's eyes widened. She had heard her father

mention this several times before. This was Ryoga's battle aura. It

was a visual expression of his ki. Soun had said that ki could make a

person stronger, faster and grant amazing recovery abilities. It was

also said that one could strike at a person with just his or her ki alone.

Her father had admitted that he had not yet mastered this skill other

than that Demon Head technique of his and that was only a scare

tactic. Akane had dreamed of being able to achieve this kind of skill

level, but so far she had only been able to generate a faint aura, and

that was when she got really mad. Ryoga must be extremely gifted in

the martial arts if he was able to generate this much ki. If Ryoga was

able to do this, then maybe she could learn it. It was then that she

saw noticed something else. The rest of the crowd saw it as well.

"Hey! Look at Saotome!"

Akane's eyes, along with everyone else's, became even wider as

they saw Ranma begin to glow with an incredibly bright blue aura.

No! It can't be! Ranma can't be THAT good! Akane's hopes in

defeating Ranma began to plummet even further

On the field, Ranma was focusing all his senses and readying

himself for the final conflict. The ki buildup he sensed in Ryoga was

enormous and he also detected something else as well. That's

weird. Why is Ryoga suddenly getting so depressed?

Ryoga was smirking as he saw Ranma's expression of confusion.

I've got him now! All of his fancy tricks won't be able to save him

from this! "Take this Ranma! SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

Ryoga suddenly threw his arms forward with cupped palms. A

huge blast of green energy suddenly exploded forth from his hands

and raced toward Ranma. Ranma's sixth sense was on overload as he

barely managed to duck under the attack. The ki blast shot past him

and slammed into a chainlink fence and exploded.

"Wow! Did you see that!"

"What the heck was that?"

"That was soooo cool!"

Akane's jaw dropped when she saw it.

Ranma got up and faced off against Ryoga, who happened to be

smiling evilly at him. His brow furrowed as he began using his senses

to analyze what had just happened.

"Surprised Ranma?" Ryoga taunted. "It's my most powerful

technique! Something I learned during my quest for vengeance!"

"You mean, something that you came across while you were lost."

Ranma amended.

Ryoga raged at the comment. "SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

Ranma's sixth sense gave out another warning and Ranma twisted

out of the path of the attack. The blast exploded on the ground

behind him a dozen meters away.

"You can't dodge forever! SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

"I don't have to." Ranma said calmly as the next blast was

avoided. Ranma's senses had picked up that Ryoga was using his

own feelings of depression as a medium to project his ki. He

remembered his sensei Koga telling him about how some masters

used their own emotions to project their ki. Cologne and the other

elders had also displayed such skills to him. During his time in the

village, Koga had taught Ranma certain countermeasures against

such techniques, should he ever come across them. This was one of

those times.

Ryoga was taking delight that he had his foe on the defensive and

launched an especially large ki blast at him. He was certain that

Ranma could not possibly avoid this one.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

The crowd gasped as they saw the blind martial artist make no

move to dodge the huge blast of energy that was hurtling at him.

Many of them shut their eyes, as the blast was about to hit. Akane

was one of the few who wanted to see what happened.

Just as the blast was about to impact, Ranma's battle aura

suddenly flared as he slashed forth with his staff. The end of the pole

made a vertical arc that sliced into the attack. The huge fireball of ki

exploded in half and each piece formed a smaller fireball that

harmlessly whooshed past Ranma on either side. They both

dissipated into nothing and Ranma stood in a ready stance..

The crowds couldn't believe what had just happened and Ryoga

was dumbfounded. Akane's jaw dropped to the ground.

"Huh? No way!" Ryoga screamed in denial.

"Unseen Light Martial Arts special technique. The Ki Cutter."

Ranma said calmly.

As soon as Nabiki saw the technique, she got to thinking.

Hmmmm. There he goes again with that Unseen Light stuff. Just

what does that mean?

On the sidelines, Cologne nodded. "Very impressive."

"How did Ranma do that?" Shampoo asked.

"Somehow, Koga had taught Ranma how to use a small amount of

his own ki to effectively counter a large amount of opposing ki. I can

see the practical uses of such a technique."

"What do you mean?"

"Keep watching." Cologne indicated with a finger.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

Another blast was sent rocketing at the blind boy, and this too

was cut in half.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN! SHI SHI HOKODAN! SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

Ranma calmly focused his ki into his staff and sliced each of

Ryoga's attacks into smaller bits of ki.

On the sidelines, Cologne explained to her great-granddaughter.

"You see child. Ranma is focusing a small, but concentrated amount

of ki into his staff. Unlike a normal martial artist, who would use an

equal amount of ki to counter each of Ryoga's blasts, Ranma's

technique is specifically slicing the attacks by canceling out a small

line in each of Ryoga's ki attacks. The remaining energies are

rendered useless as Ranma cuts a path through them. Ryoga is

wasting large amounts of his own ki as Ranma is conserving his. Our

fellow Amazon will outlast his opponent. You can see that Ryoga is

already weakening."

Shampoo nodded as she saw that Ryoga was starting to feel the

effects of firing off continuous ki attacks.

Ryoga gasped as he fired off another blast, which was cut in half

almost causally by Ranma. He couldn't understand it! Ranma was

mocking his best moves. This was the last straw. It was time to pull

out all the stops!

Ranma paused as his sixth sense got wind of Ryoga powering up

his remaining stores of ki. Something big was about to happen.

Ranma began powering up his own aura and began reaching out with

his senses. It was time to show Ryoga just what he could really do.

"You may be able to handle to normal Shi Shi Hokodan, but let's

see you beat this!"

Ryoga took a stance with his legs planted firmly on the ground

and his arms held at the sides with elbows bent. His hands clenched

into fists as he reached into his innermost feelings of depression. His

aura flared up like a miniature nova as he let loose with biggest blast

of ki he could muster.

"ULTIMATE SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

A globe of ki the size of a large house exploded upward to about a

hundred feet, then descended down toward where Ranma was. There

was no place for Ranma to evade it. It was far too large for Ranma to

cut. Everyone thought that this was the end. In less than three

seconds, it would all be over.

Ranma however, did not move. In fact, after cutting the last attack,

he had took a stance with his staff held out above him, parallel to the

ground and focused his innermost energies. His senses reached out

for all the available spiritual energies that were available in such a

short time. Tiny pinpricks of white light suddenly appeared and were

absorbed into his body. His form glowed with a white aura. Just as

the green ball was about to impact. Ranma thrust his staff upward

and spun it above him.

"SPIRIT SPIN!"

The staff spun about with tremendous speed as the depression ki

came crashing down. The huge ball of green energy tried to push its

way down as Ranma's legs began to buckle under the strain.

However, the blind martial artist held his ground as he spun his staff

even faster. The depression energy flared once then exploded into

smaller fragments as the staff chopped it to pieces. Smaller fireballs

went off in all directions away from its center and the crowds had to

duck for cover to avoid being hit. Then there was a bright flash of

light as the remainder of Ryoga's attack exploded.

When the light died down, Ryoga was in a state of total disbelief.

Ranma had defeated his most potent attack and only seemed a little

winded. The Unseen Light Martial artist calmly put away his staff and

took a new stance. He was pulling his hands back and they were

cupped. Between his hands, a small blue orb began to form.

Akane thought that after seeing that last technique, nothing

Ranma could do would surprise her. She was proven wrong as she

saw Ranma powering up.

Ranma smiled as he sensed his opponent's shock. He was a little

bit unsteady after stopping Ryoga's ki attack but he was far from

finished. He had only absorbed enough energy to counter Ryoga's

attack and he still had one technique to use against the lost boy.

When he focused enough of his ki, he reached out with his senses

and located Ryoga's spiritual signature with his sixth and seventh

senses. Locked and loaded.

"Well Ryoga, I took what you had to offer. Now let's find out if

you can handle one of mine!" The blue orb grew to the size of a

basketball and small swirls of white mists formed around it. He then

thrust out his hands and launched the attack. "SPIRIT SEEKER!"

The blue ball of light shot out and elongated until one end tapered

off into a tail. The ki attack resembled a miniature comet, making a

high-pitched whine as it sped toward his foe. Ryoga's adrenaline

kicked in as he dove to dodge the projectile. For a moment, he

breathed out a sigh of relief as the comet screamed past him, but then

he heard a change in its pitch. Looking behind him, his eyes widened

in shock as the comet made a U-turn and came right back at him.

"YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Ryoga rolled to the side as

the comet narrowly missed him, but to his horror, the ki bolt simply

pulled up and rocketed skyward. It then made an extreme reversal and

streaked down at him like a blazing meteor.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN!" Ryoga didn't know where he got the

energy to fire off the ki blast, but with a relentless missile after him;

he suddenly found a desperate strength. The ki blast he launched

while on his back was nowhere near as strong as his earlier ones, but

the lost boy hoped that it would be enough to stop Ranma's attack,

or at least diminish it.

Then, to everyone's amazement, and to Ryoga's horror, Ranma's

ki attack did the unthinkable. It made a spiraling maneuver like a

fighter plane taking evasive action and dodged Ryoga's ki blast. The

depression ki shot up harmlessly where it eventually dissipated.

The Hibiki boy let off a terrified scream as the comet put on a final

burst of speed and blasted into him. There was a huge detonation as

the ki bolt exploded. A gigantic, smoking crater was formed as the

explosion sent dirt and other debris flying. The crowd went silent for

a long while and not a sound was heard. Then, when the smoke

cleared, the crowds leaned forward to look.

There was Ryoga, flat on back and obviously unconscious. His

clothes were singed and torn in many places. His hair was a frazzled

mess and his eyes were glazed. It was plain to all that the fight was

over.

There was a large cheer among the crowds as they applauded

Ranma's victory. The blind boy in question breathed out a sigh of

relief as the Amazons hurried over to congratulate him. Mentally

guiding his ki attack to dodge Ryoga's counterblast had been a little

draining. The Spirit Seeker was one of Ranma's own creations. Since

he could not aim a ki blast with his eyes, he instead used his senses

to lock onto his opponent's spiritual essence, since no two people

were alike. Then he simply impressed that information into his attack

and let it go off on its own. The Sprit Seeker was like a smart missile

and would not stop until it hit its target or was destroyed. A couple

of other assets to this technique was that Ranma still could control it

while it was in flight and that it would only attack the person it was

locked onto. The blind boy didn't have to worry about innocent

bystanders getting hurt.

Akane was speechless as she watched the Amazons. She just

couldn't believe the display of power and skill Ranma had

demonstrated. Nabiki however, was on her back and unconscious.

After seeing Ranma win over Ryoga, the middle Tendo sister had

fainted dead away, realizing the huge sum that she would lose paying

off the bets. Her flunkies however, were not as fortunate as they were

besieged by a mob of students that were demanding that they pay off

their winnings. On the field, Ryoga remained sprawled on the ground

as the ancient Amazon congratulated Ranma.

"Well done Ranma. You do our tribe proud."

"Thank you elder Cologne." Ranma replied.

A while later, when the sun was just setting, Ranma was happily

walking along the streets, his delivery completed. Pepper had given

him an address that wasn't far from the restaurant and sent him to

deliver the takeout order. After the food was brought to the address

and the money was received, Ranma headed back to the restaurant.

As he made his way, he kept his senses peeled for any sign of Genma

and his friend, should they try to kidnap him again. When he sensed

a ki signature that was similar to Soun's, he went into a ready stance.

It was then that he noted that it wasn't Soun Tendo, but rather

someone who was related to him. As he reached out with his senses,

he felt an aura that was as pleasing to him as Jasmine's. He detected

a high level of serenity and calm, emphasized by a kindness not

unlike his adopted mother's. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside

and he decided to investigate.

Kasumi Tendo had decided to have a warm cup of tea at a small

coffee shop, before heading back to the dojo with the groceries. The

establishment was packed and she had the only empty booth left. As

she heard the front door open, she turned her gaze toward the front

and saw a young man in his late teens or so, enter the establishment.

Her heart rate began to increase slightly as she took in his

appearance. This person may look younger than herself, but this was

no mere boy. He was tall and well formed. She blushed slightly as she

saw the rippling muscles of his arms and chest. The red Chinese shirt

he was wearing did little to hide the lean, firmly toned torso. His hair

was a luxuriant black and was tied up in a loose ponytail that went to

his midback. The rest of him was just as pleasing to her eyes as well

as to the eyes of all the other girls who had caught sight of him. He

also seemed to radiate warmth and a maturity that seemed to go

beyond his years. However, it was the eyes that captivated her the

most. They were the most striking shade of blue that she had ever

seen. However, it puzzled her that his eyes didn't seem to move or

react to the bright neon sign as he passed by it. He didn't even blink

as he got a full glare of the bright light.

Ranma quickly located the source of the aura and began walking

toward it. He noted that she was female and gauged her age to be

around nineteen or twenty. His seventh sense picked up the bags of

groceries beside her and that she was sitting alone in a booth. He

began probing even deeper into her aura and detected a few more

things that his initial scan had missed. He sensed a self-imposed

barrier over her innermost emotions. He determined by her aura that

she had experienced a traumatic event in her life that had caused her

to erect that barrier. Ranma also picked up a feeling of tiredness, and

guessed that a tremendous burden is put on this person daily. He

detected an enormous sense of responsibility as well as a sense of

duty. He could feel extreme honor and loyalty within this person. She

was a gentle and caring soul. She'd make a good healer. Ranma

was a bit surprised to find these characteristics in someone that was

related to Akane and Soun but the similarities were present. There

were also minute pieces of their auras mixed in with hers, indicating

that she was regularly in contact with them. Ranma then chided

himself for thinking that she was like Akane and Soun. Just because

Akane was a violent maniac and her father was an obsessive idiot,

didn't mean that the entire family was the same. This one was

different and although he would never fulfill the pledge, Ranma

decided that he wanted to at least get to know the other members of

the Tendo clan.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

Kasumi was a bit shaken that this handsome boy was talking to

her but she quickly regained her composure. "Oh no! You may sit

here if you wish."

"Thank you." Ranma sat down and said. "It's so crowded in here.

I'm glad that there was a seat left."

"That's all right."

Ranma paused to use his sense of smell. A slight sniff was all he

needed. "Excuse me, is that Earl Gray?" He pointed to the cup in her

hand.

"Why yes it is. How did you know?"

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly and tapped the side of his nose.

"Let's just say that I have a nose for these sort of things." He

gestured for the waiter and ordered a cup of tea. He then turned back

to Kasumi. "Oh where are my manners? I'm Ranma Saotome."

Kasumi perked up when she heard this. "Oh! So you're Akane's

fianc e. I'm pleased to finally meet you. I'm Akane's sister, Kasumi."

Ranma took a deep breath. He had been expecting this reaction. In

a gentle but firm tone he replied. "Pleased to make your acquaintance

Miss Tendo, but I'm afraid that you are mistaken. I am not her

fianc e."

"But your father and mine had "

Ranma held up a hand, and said, "Miss Tendo. Despite what my

father and yours have told you, I assure you that I have no intention

of ever marrying your sister. To be quite honest, and mind you, I

have nothing against your family personally, but I will never fulfill the

pledge to unite the schools."

"But, it is a matter of family honor."

"Honor is good and all, but I will not be forced into a marriage that

was made by my poor excuse for a parent who thinks that I'm just a

piece of property to be sold off to the highest bidder."

"But "

Ranma held up his hand again and said, "Before you say anything

else, let me explain a few things that may help you understand why I

have no wish to follow through with this."

Kasumi was about to protest again but then kept silent. She

nodded her head and waited for Ranma to continue.

Ranma nodded as he paused to try and think up a way to best

explain to her. Hmmm. How do I go about doing this? Should I tell

her about me being blind? No, I can't. I really don't want her pity.

But... she's seems like a nice person and I don't think there would be

any harm in telling her. Maybe I should just lay all my cards on the

table. It would certainly make things easier to explain why I don't

want to go through with Pop's stupid ideas. But ahhhh nuts!

The eldest Tendo girl waited for Ranma to explain as she took in

his features. He was a handsome boy and seemed very well

mannered. She couldn't take her attention away from those eyes.

They were beautiful eyes and seemed to relay a kind of willful

determination, yet sadness at the same time. It was then that she

noticed something. Near the edges of his eyes were tiny pink lines.

She looked a little closer and saw that they were scars, which

indicated an injury that had been sustained many years ago. She also

noticed something else as an ambulance with its sirens blazing and

lights going passed by the shop. Since they were in a both near the

front windowpane, they got quite an earful and Kasumi had to turn

away slightly from the bright lights. Ranma however, didn't even

blink. However, she did notice that Ranma gritted his teeth a little at

the sound of the sirens. It was then that she took another look at his

eyes and wondered why she never noticed it before. The eyes never

moved and didn't seem to be focused on anything. The pupils were

always dilated and never constricting in turn with any bright light

that came his way. She also thought about the way he reacted to the

siren's noise and how he knew she was drinking Earl Gray tea. She

began to suspect that Ranma was hiding something important and

she was beginning to suspect what it was. There was one way to test

her theory.

"I don't know how I can explain this to you without letting you

know about some things about me. I don't even know where to

start." Ranma said finally.

"How about starting with the fact that you're blind." Kasumi said

in the quietest whisper she could manage.

"Huh?" Ranma was more than shocked as he turned toward

Kasumi.

Kasumi smiled a bit as she saw his reaction. As she expected, the

muscles around his eyes acted accordingly by widening, but the

pupils still remained the same. Usually, when a person is confronted

with a shock, the pupils would change with his eyelids.

Ranma's senses picked up her feelings of triumph and realized that

he had fallen into the trap. "H-H-How did you ?'

"The clues were all there, but I must admit that you had me fooled

for a while." Contrary to popular belief, Kasumi was not totally

oblivious to things outside the Tendo home. In fact, she had an

intelligent mind that rivaled Nabiki's and was even far more observant

than the middle sister, who relied more on her flunkies to gather

information. "Your eyes didn't blink when you passed by that neon

sign or when that ambulance came by. Your pupils don't change and

your eyes don't move to focus in on anything. You knew what kind

of tea I was drinking by its smell and you winced a bit at the sirens.

You heard me say that you were blind even though I said it in the

barest whisper that I could. I've heard that blind people have been

able to develop their senses of smell and hearing to a level better

than a sighted person's."

"Very perceptive of you." Ranma admitted as he gained new

respect for Kasumi. "I must say that you caught on faster than most

people have. I thought that no one in Nerima could have figured it

out."

"I must admit, from what Nabiki and Akane have told me, you've

handled yourself far better than a person who can see. Now about

that explanation?"

Ranma shook his head while smiling and began speaking. "Well,

since you've figured it out, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a few things

off my chest. In any case, you're right. I am clinically blind. I was born

with sight but I lost it at a very early age, due to my father's poor

judgment."

Kasumi listened intently as Ranma began his story.

Fighting Blind

I know that there's a disclaimer somewhere in this.

: Thoughts

Chapter 8

Akane and Her Sisters Part 1

(No, we're not talking about THAT episode!)

"When I was five, Genma had taken me away from my mother for a

training trip. Life was very harsh as my father subjected me to what

he thought would make me into a great martial artist. However, Genma

has all the intelligence of a tree stump!" Ranma said the last part with

some anger, his voice had no indication of any respect for his father.

"Now that's not very nice to speak of your father like that."

Kasumi interjected. "I'm certain that he had all your best interests

and welfare in mind."

Ranma snorted. "Hmpf! It was more like he had only HIS best

interests and welfare in mind. To him, I was just his meal ticket!"

"What do you mean?"

"I can assume that Genma hasn't really told you anything except

that fairy tale about me being kidnapped by the Amazons and being

brainwashed by them?"

Kasumi gave a 'mmm-hmm.'

"Well me tell you, I am thinking quite clearly. If it wasn't for a

gentle Amazon healer, I would have never have lived past my ninth

birthday."

"What happened?"

"After a series of so-called training exercises, which included

stealing, lying and cheating, my father came across a manual that

described a technique called the Neko Ken or Cat Fist. He thought it

would turn me into an unbeatable fighter and the training was

deceptively simple. He wrapped me up in fish sausage and threw me

into a pit of starving cats."

"Oh dear. That's " Kasumi couldn't think of anything to describe

it. Who would do such a thing to a child? When she imagined an

image of Genma throwing a young boy into a pit of howling and

starving felines, she tried very hard to keep that tea she drank from

coming back up.

"Let me tell you, it was something that I never want to experience

again. However, I was subjected to that training process several

times, when I didn't learn the technique on the first try. And every

time that he subjected me to that, I felt a small part of my very sanity

being eaten away. Kami-sama only knows what would have

happened to me if I had been thrown in that pit one too many times.

Mind you, he didn't just use fish sausage. He threw me in with

sardines, fish cakes, smelt and even bathed me in fish oil." Ranma's

tone became sarcastic. "Yeah. Like that's going to make a difference!

However, around the tenth attempt, my father had thought that he

was using too much bait and not enough cats. So he threw me down

into the pit with twice as many cats and only half the food. That

proved to be the worst decision he could ever make." Ranma paused

and then said in a low and sad voice. "The cats became more

maddened with hunger with so little food and they attacked me with

even more ferocity. The last thing I saw was a set of claws as they

ripped my eyes apart." Ranma tapped the right side of his face near

the temple, indicating the scars.

Kasumi was rendered speechless.

Ranma's senses detected the emotions coming from Kasumi. He

felt her shock and horror. He nodded and continued on. "Despite the

hospital's best efforts, my eyesight was permanently gone. Some

structural surgery corrected most of the superficial damage, but my

eyes were rendered useless because of the training. After all this

however, Genma had learned absolutely nothing from the experience.

A day after I had gotten out of surgery, he broke into the hospital he

stole me from the intensive care ward to continue the training. For

two years, he dragged me all over Japan and China while beating me

senseless. Genma did nothing for my handicap and expected me to

adapt as he continued the training. I couldn't even defend myself as

my health deteriorated. My father wasn't very much when it came to

childcare and it wasn't long before I was just barely getting by on

what little food that I could get from him. Then, when I just turned

eight, he got wind of some legendary healing spring in the Quinghai

province in China. He took me there and almost drowned me several

times, hoping that the waters would restore my sight. As it turned

out, the healing spring was just a myth and the place was actually the

water supply of the Amazon village."

"So that's how you became part of the Amazons?"

Ranma nodded. "A kind healer by the name of Jasmine rescued me

from Genma and helped me heal both physically and mentally. She

gave me a proper diet, made certain I had my vaccinations and cared

for me as if she was my own mother. In fact, she was about the

closest thing to a mother that I ever had. Genma had never let me

contact my real mother or even know where she lived. After all I had

been put through, you can probably guess why. Although Jasmine

couldn't do anything for my eyesight, she was acquainted with a

master of a fighting style called the Unseen Light. He was the one

who helped me overcome my disability. He and Jasmine raised me like

the parents that I never had."

"I see." Kasumi said quietly. Her heart went out toward this

young man. He was showing a vulnerability that appealed to her,

which made her mothering instinct come to the surface. She was also

impressed with the way he was handling his disability. He displayed

a kind of strength and maturity that she had not expected from

someone younger than she was. He was tall, handsome and was very

sure of his abilities. He also had a gentle side to him and it was very

easy for her to take a liking to him. He wasn't like the 'perverted jerk'

that Akane had labeled him as when she came home from school that

day.

Ranma continued with his narrative. "In any case, My father had

already proven that he couldn't make a good call in judgment if his

life depended on it." Ranma said as some of the anger came back into

his voice. "I want nothing more to do with him and I certainly won't

uphold any bargains that he made on my behalf. Knowing him, he

probably made that pledge when he was drunk. Either that or he was

trading me off for some food."

"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked, still in a state of disbelief

over what he had told her so far. There was more?

"He hasn't told anyone about those OTHER little details, now has

he?" Ranma took Kasumi's silence as an affirmative. "Well, even

though he wasn't raising me any more, he still considered me as a

bargaining chip to feed his fat stomach. About a year ago, some guy

came to the village with his daughter and claimed that Genma had

agreed to engage me to the girl in exchange for some rice, pickles and

a fish."

Kasumi was a little more than shocked at that revelation. "Now,

you must be joking." A look at Ranma's stern expression told her that

he wasn't. "But the pledge to our family "

Ranma shrugged. "Must have slipped his mind. And that wasn't

the only time he's pulled that stunt. Including the promise he made to

your family, by my count, I figure that Genma had engaged me to no

less than fifteen girls. One of those times, he engaged me to triplets.

That stupid panda doesn't know what restraint is, much less a vow of

honor. Nearly all those families had come to the village looking to

claim me. Of course, that doesn't include all the restaurants and

businesses that Genma had cheated out of the bill and USED ME for

collateral."

"He did that?!" Kasumi mind reeled and it was apparent that she

was reaching her threshold on reality. This was father's 'dear old

friend?'

Ranma nodded again. "Whenever my father would eat or take

something in China, he would always say, 'Send the bill to the

Joketsuzoku, care of Ranma Saotome.' Since he would always get

away without paying, the businesses had no choice but to look up

the village and demand payment. Kami-sama!" Ranma huffed in

annoyance. "That happened so many times that the Amazons had to

give out death threats to several dozen restaurant owners and

business people before they got the hint to leave us alone! That was

one reason why I left the village. I didn't want them to be bothered

any further by Genma's stupidity!" Ranma's voice went up a few

notches as his temper began to simmer. Using his senses, he

detected the disbelief and shock in Kasumi, then calmed down a bit.

"If you still don't believe it, then find out for yourself. Next time you

see that fat panda, mention the name Daijkoku, Li Zang or Kirachi and

watch his reaction. I'll bet that he'll either sweat a lot or try to avoid

the subject. If there's one thing that my father was good at, it's

dodging the consequences of his actions."

Ranma sensed that Kasumi was still in a state of disbelief and

decided that she needed some time to think about what he had just

told her. Placing some yen coins on the table to pay for his tea, he

got up and nodded his head to Kasumi. "It has been a pleasure

talking to you Miss Tendo. It was good to get some of that off my

chest. But remember that I have nothing against you or your family,

other than the fact that your father is determined to force me into a

marriage with Akane. However, since this is due to one of Genma's

promises, then I will refuse it. Furthermore, and please forgive the

crude remark, but I have no intention of wedding an ill-mannered

brat."

Kasumi was about to protest to the description of her younger

sister but Ranma held up a hand. "I'm sure that you consider Akane

as a good person, and underneath all that hostility, she might be.

However, you have to agree that she needs to improve on her

treatment of others, especially toward the opposite gender. She also

requires a serious attitude adjustment and has to realize that the

world is not there just to suit her. She tends to judge people by her

own narrow-minded standards and I find that reprehensible. I cannot

understand why no one has taught her better manners. If she is not

shown that her behavior is unacceptable, she'll go right on thinking

that it is. Sooner or later, someone else BESIDES ME is going to put

his foot down and SHE'S going to be UNDER it!"

Kasumi couldn't help but nod at that assessment. Akane was a bit

self-absorbed and the elder sister had despaired when her sibling

couldn't control her temper and lashed out at people in anger. She

had to admit, Akane's temper tantrums were unbecoming and

showed that she was slow in maturing. She gasped a bit when Ranma

gently placed his fingers on her face, then relaxed as she realized that

this was how a blind individual could see another person's face. She

let this little lapse in proper manners go as she closed her eyes and

let him run his fingertips across her cheeks, nose and mouth. She

shivered slightly as his warmth passed over her. Then he withdrew

his touch and sat up.

"I'm very surprised that you are related to Akane and her father.

You're very different from your sister and Mr. Tendo. From what my

fingers have just told me, you have a face which matches the beauty

of your soul." Kasumi blushed at the comment. Ranma then quietly

walked toward the entrance, pausing at the door to say something

else to Kasumi. Without turning around, Ranma said, "Oh, and by the

way Miss Tendo. I would prefer that the knowledge of my

condition, remain between the two of us. It's not that I have anything

to hide, but I'd rather not be an object for anyone's pity." With these

words, the Unseen Light martial artist left the shop and headed for

home.

The eldest Tendo daughter sat in her booth and was deep in

thought. This Ranma Saotome showed great insight despite his

inability to see. He was mature and quite refined, considering that he

had lived in a simple and isolated environment for most of his life. He

had endured incredible hardships, which had only made him stronger.

Kasumi did not feel any pity for Ranma. Rather, she was in awe at

how he had overcome his disability. He had suffered much at the

hands of his father, and the promise between the Saotomes and the

Tendos would only subject him to more pressure and pain, especially

since both fathers were determined to have Akane marry him. With

the youngest sister's violent tendencies, Kasumi couldn't help but

feel sorry for Ranma.

There was no doubt in Kasumi's mind. Ranma Saotome was a

special person. He was the sort of person that Kasumi could become

very fond of, and perhaps, someone she could love.

Meanwhile, Ranma walked along the streets deep in thought.

Why the heck did I tell her all that?

The blind boy couldn't understand it. One moment he was just

sitting down and having a cup of tea. The next moment he was

relating his life's story to her. He couldn't help it. Something about

her personality and aura just made him want to open up. She

reminded him so much of Jasmine and he felt comfortable talking to

her. From what he read of her aura, Kasumi was a gentle soul. She

was caring, polite and would make any man who married her look

forward to coming home every night. If it weren't for that stupid

pledge, Ranma might have let himself fall for someone like her. She

wasn't a fighter, but she had an inner strength that easily rivaled any

warrior in the village.

What am I thinking? I can't get involved with her! She's a Tendo

and I swore that I would never uphold the promise that idiot Genma

made! No sir! Not in a billion years! He then chuckled a bit. Besides,

I don't want to have a lot of jealous Amazons after me. Back in China,

Ranma had quite a few female warriors whose goal was to capture his

heart.

The very next day, Nabiki and her factors were gathered in front of

a large tree in the school yard. After handing a large wad of yen

notes to an excited student, she turned to her crew to assess the

damage.

"All right girls, just where do we stand?"

One subordinate with long brown hair looked down at a printout

and read out the results. "We were really lucky Nabiki. Most of those

bettors already had money owed to us and their winnings canceled

out their debts. We only ended up paying off eleven thousand yen

overall."

Another girl nodded. "Yeah, but we can't take another loss like

that. Boss, I think that it would be best not to have odds put on

Saotome again. He's just too good!"

Nabiki nodded as she gave out new instructions to her crew.

"Keep tailing that new guy and find out all that you can about him. I

know its been tough trying to keep tabs on him, but something's

bound to slip out sooner or later. I'll do the same. There's something

about Ranma Saotome that doesn't feel right and I aim to find out

what. I have a feeling that he may yet be profitable. And with any

future fights, have the bets made on Ranma based on how fast he

wins, how many hits he takes or something along those lines."

After her lackeys left, Nabiki was deep in thought as she

considered her options. She thought of the events of the previous

day and had to agree with her flunky. Ranma had shown

extraordinary ability and it wasn't good for business if she had to

keep on paying off wagers made on him. If he continued to win, then

Nabiki would have to declare bankruptcy before she graduated. The

loss she suffered today was sizable but manageable. The dojo's

budget was going to be tight this month though. However, this was

not a favorable condition. She had lost her hold on a number of

students since their debts were canceled out. Furthermore, she also

had her family to think about.

Soun Tendo may own a dojo, but he didn't teach any classes.

Soun had proven too emotional to be a sensei and Akane was his

only student. His tended to let his emotions out at full blast and this

was seen as a lack of discipline, driving away any potential pupils.

Also, since he didn't have any regular source of income, it had fallen

to Nabiki to support the family and pay the bills. Kasumi was already

overburdened with the household duties and Akane was too busy

with Kuno and the other boys to be of any help. Unfortunately, since

the school board did not normally allow students to hold jobs, Nabiki

had been forced to find other means of generating income.

It was her reputation as a mercenary, which had earned her the

nickname of the Ice Queen. As much as she liked the control it gave

her over the other students, she found that it also had its drawbacks.

Just about all the boys in school were afraid of her for fear of being

blackmailed or charged for services. Getting a date was hard enough

and after Kuno had made that stupid decree with defeating Akane,

Nabiki was forced to spend her weekends alone. This was one of the

things that she resented about her younger sister. Akane's vanity

had gotten a big boost and although she constantly denied it, Nabiki

knew that the little princess enjoyed the attention she received.

Spoiled brat.

Thinking of Akane made Nabiki think of Ranma again. He was a

mystery. He was handsome, tall and showed considerable skills in the

martial arts and music. He had shown great respect toward the

opposite gender. His actions so far had been the main topic of the

school. The martial arts clubs wanted to sign him on. The music

teacher had been having wild dreams of crushing the competition of

the other schools if she could get that flute player. Apparently,

Takariko Shinsho had taken it personally with regards to Furinkan's

poor music performance for the last three years. Lastly, nearly all of

the eligible girls, herself included, had been captivated by his good

looks and charm. Here was someone who would not bow and scrape

to Akane and wasn't afraid to give her a piece of his mind.

The middle daughter had been surprised when she learned that her

father had promised to engage him to one of his daughters. Lately

though, Soun and his freeloading friend were absolutely determined

that Akane marry him. Nabiki wondered why that was. After all, the

pledge did not specify which daughter he had to marry. But after

returning from their latest attempt to retrieve Ranma, the two

conspirators were goading Akane to defeat Ranma. Something that

Nabiki seriously doubted that Akane would do anytime soon if ever.

That got her to thinking. If they were so determined that Ranma marry

Akane, then why the big deal over her defeating him?

Ranma was a mystery, and if there was one thing that made

money, it was finding out the secret to that mystery. Nabiki made a

mental note to find out just what that secret was as she saw Ranma

and the Amazons approach the school.

For the rest of the school day, Nabiki watched Ranma from afar.

As usual, Ranma was confronted several times by Kuno in his quest

to free Akane and his Amazon beauties. Of course, Ranma paid no

heed as he took out the poetry-spouting kendoist with no more effort

than was necessary each time they clashed. She made careful

observations to his behavior and tried not to get too close. It was at

that time that she noticed a few things.

At about lunch, Ranma was playing that silver flute of his when

Kuno appeared to attack him.

At noon

"Ranma Saotome! Prepare for your final reckoning!"

Ranma's seventh sense was already tracking Kuno's wooden

sword as it came down on top of him. A moment later, it made a deep

gash in the tree that the blind martial artist had been sitting against.

Ranma was already out of harm's way as he moved over to the side

and used a sweep kick to knock the kendoist off his feet. He was still

playing a lively tune on his instrument as he waited for Kuno to rise.

Kuno became even more enraged as his opponent didn't seem to

be taking him seriously. He charged at him and swung at him several

times, but Ranma simply danced out of the way.

"Fiend! You dare to mock the great Blue Thunder?"

The blind martial artist made a casual flip over Kuno's head,

pausing in his playing to rap his opponent on the noggin with his

flute.

"How dare you! Arrrrgh!" Kuno launched another attack, only to

have it turned aside by a roundhouse kick. Another slash was

evaded, then another and another. By this time Kuno became really

steamed. "You continue to mock the great warrior Tatewaki Kuno?"

Ranma stopped in his playing as he landed a dozen feet from his

antagonist. "Warrior? Oh please! You're not a warrior. You don't

have any clue to that concept."

"Take this fiend! STIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!"

Ranma's sixth sense picked up the increase in ki as he weaved

back and forth to dodge the sudden barrage of thrusts that the

kendoist directed at him. Nabiki saw that the statue behind Ranma

was beginning to crumble as Kuno continued his assault Ranma.

"Whoa. Just by the air pressure alone!" Kuno's never done this

against Akane. Then again, I've always suspected that he holds back

against her.

Ranma however, wasn't too impressed as he continued to play, his

melody picking up the tempo in time with the sword thrusts. Cute,

but it's nowhere near as fast as the Amaguriken technique. Oh well.

After a few more of the attacks, Ranma could sense that his opponent

was tiring. His breathing was getting heavier and he was starting to

sweat a bit. Time to end this. As the last thrust went by, Ranma

stopped in his playing and used his flute in a twisting motion to

disarm Kuno.

The kendoist was shocked that this upstart was winning as he saw

his weapon go flying this time, he came prepared. Reaching

into his robes, he withdrew a second bokken and charged.

His slash however was parried as Ranma focused his ki into his

flute, strengthening the metal until it was as strong as steel. Before

Kuno could react, Ranma sent a rabbit punch to his gut, then

followed through with a seven-hit combo to his face and chest with

the flute. Kuno staggered back as Ranma took a stance with the flute

held high.

"Listen up Kuno. Here's some ancient Chinese Amazon advice. A

true warrior looks to the eyes and SEES with the mind and heart."

Ranma then used his senses to determine where the sun's rays were

directed, then used his flute to reflect the sunlight into Kuno's eyes.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Kuno winced as he got an eyeful of brightness. He

closed his eyes and had one arm held up. He then felt something slam

into his gut. The kendoist reeled back from the force of Ranma's kick

and slammed into a wall causing concrete to crumble. He slumped to

the ground and lost his grip on his bokken. The wooden sword

clattered to the ground as Kuno was on the ground dazed.

Ranma then said, "An idiot such as yourself is content to stare at

his opponent's weapon." Ranma then calmly walked toward the

school, resuming his melody on the flute.

Nabiki was impressed at how Ranma handled Kuno so easily, but

then she got to thinking. Ranma's eyes did not shut themselves

when he reflected that light. They didn't even blink and he got the

same brightness as Kuno did. As she thought about that little

exchange, she also realized that Ranma hadn't even looked in Kuno's

direction once. A couple of other times when Kuno attacked him,

Ranma had left his back wide open, and yet would always counter the

kendoist with casual ease. It was almost as if he had some kind of

built-in radar. She went to follow him some more.

As the day wore on, Nabiki made several more observations on

Ranma. Unknown to her, the subject in question had long since been

aware of the middle Tendo sister tailing him. Either it was her or one

of her flunkies. Not that Ranma cared about it. He knew that his

actions were causing many people to wonder about him, but so long

as it wasn't used against him, then he would let them wonder. In any

case, he had wanted to get some more information on Nabiki. After

meeting Kasumi, he had been wondering just what the rest of the

Tendo family was like. What better way to find out than to study

Nabiki as she was studying him?

Nabiki kept out of sight and would usually put a distance of thirty

feet or so between them. By using the telescopic lens of her camera,

she would snap pictures of him as he went about his business.

However, as she was observing him, he was studying her.

Ranma's seventh sense was unlike any other sensory ability as it

gave him a three-dimensional view of his surroundings. It had a

normal range of fifty yards in all directions, and could detect things

as small as a beetle. With increased concentration, Ranma could

extend that range to one hundred and fifty yards or use it to probe

beneath the surface of an object. This ability served him well back in

the village as a healer as it allowed him to assess a physical injury

without the use of x-ray machines or sonograms. He could easily

locate Nabiki no matter where she hid. His sixth sense had an even

greater range and was finely tuned. As of now he was picking up the

Tendo girl's aura as she was hiding behind a tree, at a distance of

twenty-five feet, nine inches from where he was standing. He began

focusing his senses on her and smiled a bit at her attempts at trying

to remain hidden. Making a bit of a display in trying to look casual,

he began reading into her aura.

He detected a strong will and a keen intelligence. It was like

Kasumi's but it was more cunning. He also sensed a bit of a self-

imposed barrier as well, similar to what he found in the elder sister.

Ranma assumed that she had shared the same tragedy as her sibling.

It was directed a little differently however. Instead of feigning

ignorance and indifference to the outside world, Nabiki's aura

showed a commanding nature to it. Unlike Kasumi, who tended to

discount the bad characteristics about people and things, her

younger sister's personality was read as one who takes control of her

environment and the people in it. She dealt with her pain by taking

charge and giving orders. Ranma also discovered a curious side to

her as well as a hidden sensitive side that was suppressed. In a way,

she was the middle sister in the metaphysical sense. Kasumi was the

serenity and the calm while Akane was the fury and high emotions.

Nabiki was smack dab in the middle. She had control, yet she could

let out strong emanations that were just as powerful as any kick or

punch. Nabiki could fight back. It was just that she did it in a different

way. Instead of using her fists and feet, she used her mind. Ranma

had learned early on in the Amazon village that not all battles could

be won by physical means alone.

Ranma continued to let Nabiki tail him as he went through the day.

He went up against with Kuno a few more times and would give him

several lessons in proper manners as he thrashed him. Nabiki made

more observations and compiled them with the reports of her other

associates. After the final bell had rung, Ranma left the school with

his sister Amazons as Nabiki set up a small meeting with two of her

lieutenants to compare notes.

"All right girls, just what have learned about Saotome?"

Minaka, a pretty girl with brown hair did up in a ponytail, began

reading her report. "Well, Ranma has already gone up against Kuno

ten times today. As per your orders, we began taking bets on how

fast Ranma could defeat him. We made a profit of seven thousand

yen total."

"Not bad." Nabiki nodded to the other girl. "How about you

Sayako? Anything unusual about Saotome?"

The girl had short black hair cut in a mannish style. She looked

down at her notepad and read over what she had written down. After

a moment, she said, "Well, I haven't exactly seen anything totally

bizarre or anything, but I did notice a few things."

"Like what?"

"Well, I've got him in my history class. Mr. Shinako asked him to

read a passage from our text. When he started reading "

"Well, what is it?"

"He didn't seem to look at the book he was reading. His eyes

weren't moving and he ran his fingers along the page. He bent over a

bit toward the book."

"Well that's interesting. It could be that he's near-sighted."

"No way!" Minaka protested. "After what I saw in gym class, he

can't be near-sighted!"

"What do you mean?" Nabiki asked with interest.

"I saw him practice archery at the target range and he hit a perfect

bull's eye every time! And he did it from a distance of a hundred

yards! He even split his arrows like in that foreign movie Robin Hood.

Later on, I saw him secretly shoot some baskets in the old court

behind the school. He did it all from beyond the three point line.

Seventy-five consecutive baskets, and nothing but net! Coach

Nagera has been pestering him to sign up for the basketball and

archery teams. Now you can't tell me that he's near-sighted when he

can do all that."

Nabiki nodded as she turned to Sayako. "Well, that scratches that

theory."

"Then again," Minaka continued. "If you want to know any

strange things about him, I did see a few things that were peculiar."

"What kind of things?"

"Well, remember those seventy-five consecutive baskets? Well

get this. He did make thirty of those baskets while he had his back

turned to the hoop."

"Say what?" Sayako said in surprise.

"No, I mean it. I have the videotape. It looked like he was just

playing around. He made some fancy rebound and hook shots, but

every throw went through the basket dead on. It was like he knew

where the basket was. That guy must be psychic or have eyes in the

back of his head."

"That could just be pure luck." Sayako suggested.

"No, I don't think so." Nabiki interjected. "Thirty consecutive

baskets without even seeing the hoop? You girls know that I pride

myself on math and what Minaka has described was impossible. The

odds of doing what Ranma did are astronomical." She looked back at

Minaka. "What else can you tell me about what you saw about him?"

"Well, seeing him fight Kuno all those times got me to thinking.

Have you ever noticed that Ranma almost never starts an attack?

Except for that fight against that Ryoga guy, he always seems to let

his opponent make the first move, and then he turns it against him.

It's as if he's always waiting for the other guy to make a move before

doing something."

"Yeah, I noticed it too." Sayako nodded as she thought back to

Ranma's previous fights. "Come to think of it, I don't remember him

actually FACE an opponent."

"What do you mean?" Nabiki inquired.

"Well, have you actually seen Ranma make eye contact with

whoever he's fighting? I mean, Kuno has tried to get him from behind

a lot, but Ranma never seems to turn in his direction. He'd just use

some kind of fancy move while still having his back to him and Kuno

would be sucking dirt. It's like I don't know, his body's got some

kind of early-warning system and that he reacts on reflex when

someone tries to blind side him."

The middle sister of the Tendo clan thought back to all the times

Ranma had fought against Kuno, Akane, and Ryoga. She had to

admit. Her flunkies were right. It seemed that Ranma possessed a

sense of awareness of his surroundings that was way better than

anyone else she knew did. Her father had once spoken about a

martial artist's heightened sense of his environment, but what Ranma

was capable of went far beyond anyone's perception of the concept.

Just how was Ranma able to accomplish this?

Nabiki shook her head in weariness. There were just too many

variables for her to sort out at the moment. She decided to end the

meeting and head for home. After dismissing her flunkies for the day,

she made her way to the Tendo compound. As she entered the

house, she noted that her father and his friend were not out on the

back porch playing their usual game of shogi. It had become a habit

for those two to partake in a few games before and after dinner. Of

course, Soun and Genma were more skilled at cheating than at

actually playing.

"Hello Nabiki, welcome home."

The middle daughter nodded to her elder sibling. "Hi Kasumi.

Where's Daddy and that friend of his?" Nabiki's eyes slightly

narrowed as she saw the tiny, almost imperceptible irritation in

Kasumi's expression when she mentioned Genma.

Kasumi quickly smothered her newfound disgust of Genma as she

replied, "Father and Mr. Saotome went out. They told me that they

had a little business to take care of."

Unknown to Nabiki, Kasumi had confronted Genma with his past

actions. She had approached the fat martial artist while he was

playing a game of shogi with Soun. She was holding some mail at the

time. When her father had asked if there were something for him,

Kasumi had decided to test out Ranma's claims of Genma's

dishonorable conduct.

An hour ago

Kasumi rifled through the mail. Most of it was junk mail with

advertisements for some restaurant. She began reading out aloud,

"I'm afraid it's all just more junk mail, father. There's a flyer for the

opening of a new restaurant that belongs to a family named

Daijkoku."

"Gulp!" Genma flinched a bit the sound of the name.

"Saotome? Is there something wrong?"

"Oh no! Nothing's wrong Tendo!" Genma began laughing

nervously as he instinctively edged away a bit.

Kasumi continued reading the flyer. "It seems they're advertising

a sale at their grand opening. The first hundred customers get a free

appetizer of fish, rice and pickles."

Genma paled a bit as he edged away a little more. Kasumi could

see the first beads of sweat forming near that cloth he wore on his

bald head.

"Saotome?"

"Isn't it a bit warm tonight?"

"Well, I suppose so Saotome."

Kasumi maintained her gentle appearance as she looked at the

flyer. "Oh my, here's a picture of the owner. Oh what big ears he has!

And this must be his daughter beside him. She's very lovely. She'd

make a beautiful bride"

"Let me see that Kasumi." Soun said as he reached out for the

flyer.

It was then that Genma went into a state of panic. Grabbing his

friend by the shoulder, he quickly said, "Hey Tendo! Why don't we

go out and hit that new bar that opened up? We can grab a couple of

drinks while we plan to get Akane with Ranma!"

"Now? It's a little early for that."

"Nonsense! The sooner we can get her married to my son, the

sooner will the future of the schools of the Anything Goes Martial

Arts be assured! Besides, we could use a good drink right about

now."

Soun looked at his friend with some confusion, then shrugged.

"All right. I guess we can do that." He looked up at Kasumi. "We'll

be out for a while so tell your sisters that we'll be taking care of

certain matters."

"All right father."

A few minutes later, the two schemers went out the door and were

long gone, leaving Kasumi alone with her thoughts. Her mind was

not at all filled with kind images as she realized that Ranma had been

correct. His father was a dishonorable pig. Looking down at the flyer,

she breathed out a sigh of relief. Fortunately for her, she had yet to

tell an untruth as she read the flyer out loud.

"Come to the grand opening of the Daijkoku Restaurant of Martial

Arts Takeout."

Uh oh!

The present time

Nabiki arched an eyebrow when Kasumi had told her that their

father and his friend were out drinking and taking care of business.

Either they're planning to jump Ranma again and try to drag him

into the dojo, or they've come up with some half-baked scheme to get

him and Akane together. I still don't get why they're so set on

hooking him up with her though.

"Akane not home yet?"

"No, she told me that she was going out with some of her friends

to a movie. She'll be back later. In any case, I am glad that you're here

Nabiki." Kasumi paused for a moment while wringing the dish towel

she had in her hands. "I need to talk to you about Ranma."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Well, there's a few things that I have to tell you about Ranma.

You see he and I have had a little discussion."

"You've met him? You talked to him?"

"Yes, I met him in a coffee shop yesterday, and he told me a few

things that Mr. Saotome had neglected to tell us."

"Really? Tell me all about it." Nabiki hadn't expected Kasumi to

have any information about the mysterious boy. Then again,

information was information, no matter where it came from.

"Well " Kasumi wasn't sure if was right to reveal Ranma's

condition, but after hearing his tale, she felt that it was unfair that

Akane was so quick to judge him and that others wanted to use him

for their own greed. Then she remembered Ranma's request to keep it

a secret, as he had no wish to be pitied. But what Kasumi felt for him

was not pity, at least for his condition. She had a great deal of

admiration and respect for him being able to cope with such a

disability and besides, his maturity and gentle nature appealed to her.

After a long moment, she finally decided not to keep it bottled up any

longer. She had to tell someone. Since her mother was gone, Nabiki

was the most likely to understand. However, she knew of her sister's

ways.

"Nabiki, before I tell you anything, you must promise to me that

you will not use this information against Ranma."

"What?"

"I mean it Nabiki. Ranma has gone through a lot of pain and

suffering. Far more than you would ever know. I will NOT stand for it

if you were to use this information to exploit or hurt him!"

Nabiki was about to protest but then saw the seriousness in her

eyes. She was very surprised and a little intimidated by it. She had

rarely seen her older sister get this worked up. The only other times

she would be this way is when their father would go into one of his

emotional outbursts or when Akane would throw one of her temper

tantrums. That was a Kasumi in which to be reckoned with. The fact

that she was showing an interest in a man was also cause for

concern. The sweet, innocent keeper of the Tendo home had yet to

show any attraction toward the opposite gender as she had kept

mostly to the house.

Kasumi's sister looked at her and saw that tiny spark in her eyes.

It was just a faint glimmer, but it was there all right. Nabiki had prided

herself on being a good judge of character and she could tell by the

signs. Big sister was attracted to Ranma. Whatever he said to her

yesterday must have had a big impact on her.

Kasumi was not a very easy person to get close to, since she had

taken over their mother's duties after she had passed away. She was

always ready to make any sacrifice to ensure that her family ate well,

lived in a clean home and wore clean clothes. She had become

isolated from the outside world and had given up on trying to find

her own personal happiness, in order to make her family happy.

Nabiki did occasionally forget the things that Kasumi had to

surrender in order to care for them. Now it seemed that she had a

good chance of actually finding love. If Nabiki were to hurt Ranma,

then she would be hurting Kasumi as well. With that thought in mind,

she decided that any information she got on Ranma would remain

between the two of them. Despite the loss of potential profit, Nabiki

decided that it was not worth losing the respect and love of her

sister.

"Okay sis. You got my word. I won't tell anyone who doesn't

know."

Kasumi looked at her sibling for a while, before nodding. "Nabiki,

have you noticed his attitude toward Akane?"

The money-earner of the family smirked at that. "Who hasn't

noticed it? Ranma treats her like a five-year old and he doesn't stand

for any of her outbursts. He makes her look like an immature brat and

he's not afraid to give her a piece of his mind. He won't let her get

away with her little tirades." Nabiki smiled a bit more. "Not that I'm

putting Akane down, but I think it was about time that someone gave

her a lesson in humility."

"Yes, Ranma had mentioned to me about his dislike of Akane's

attitude toward boys and he's quite adamant about not marrying her.

However, I think I know the underlying reason as to why he doesn't

give Akane the benefit of the doubt."

"Why is that?"

Kasumi thought back to that first day when Akane came home

from school and labeled Ranma as a perverted jerk of a boy. "I think

Akane made a grave error in judgment when she first met Ranma. She

categorized him in the same class as all those other boys who

attacked her every morning. As soon as she saw that he was a boy,

she immediately decided that he was after her like all the others."

"Okay. So what does that have to do with anything?"

"To someone like Ranma, judging someone merely because of his

appearance is very insulting. Ranma can't help the fact that he's a

boy, but as soon as Akane saw him, she simply saw another boy to

pound on."

"Well, I can understand how something like that would make a

person feel offended, but that doesn't explain why he treats Akane

the way he does. And what do you mean by saying someone like

Ranma?"

Kasumi took a deep breath, then dropped the bomb. "You know

the old saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover? Ranma

can NEVER make the mistake of judging a person on appearance

because he is blind."

As soon as these words were uttered, Nabiki's lightning-quick

thought processes ground to a halt.

In another part of town, Akane was walking alone down the

streets. She and her two friends had gone to see the newest film, but

she had barely concentrated on the pictures on the screen. No, her

thoughts were a million miles away and they were all focused on one

thing. Defeating Ranma Saotome. After exiting the theater and

bidding her friends goodbye, she plodded along, not particularly

caring where she was heading.

Ever since she had witnessed Ranma's fight with Ryoga, she had

been training hard to try to increase her skills to finally show that

arrogant boy what a 'true' martial artist was capable of. It hadn't

helped matters that her father and that friend of his were goading her

on about getting her fianc e. She had thought that they were

encouraging her to train, but they kept on making it look like some

ridiculous, misguided attempt to win his love. Hah! As if she would

ever marry that stupid jerk! She just wanted to show him and

everyone else that Akane Tendo was second to none, especially not

second to some boy!

But the problem was, just how was she going to do it? After

seeing the techniques that Ranma had used against his rival, the

youngest Tendo sister had been trying to duplicate those moves. So

far, she hadn't come close to even a tiny fraction of the ki techniques

she had witnessed. She had spent many hours last night trying to do

the Shi Shi Hokodan or the Spirit Seeker with no success.

Arrgh! What were those moves? How did they do that? It's not

fair! I'm supposed to be the best in Nerima! It should be easy to do

what they did!

Akane was so engrossed in trying to figure out how to beat

Ranma, that she failed to notice that she had entered a bad part of the

city. The neighborhoods were quite dirty and were frequented with

muggers, thieves and yakusa. One particular party had their eyes set

on the wandering Tendo girl.

They were part of a street gang and were quite amused that

someone like Akane would just wander into their part of town and

decided to have a little fun with her. They began following her.

Meanwhile, Ranma was leaping from rooftop to rooftop after

finishing his delivery for Pepper's Place. As soon as he came close to

within three blocks of where Akane was, his superior hearing picked

up the sound of a scream Ranma stopped suddenly when he heard

the noise, and listened for a moment. When her heard another

scream, he ran off in that direction to investigate.

Sometime earlier

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

Akane broke her train of thought as she heard these words.

Looking up, she saw that a small group of boys were in front of her.

She immediately noticed where she was and she began to get on

edge. In her mind, she was chiding herself for not paying attention to

where she was going and for letting these hoodlums get close to her.

Taking a few steps back, she prepared for any violence as she said,

"Ah sorry. I took a wrong turn."

The leader of the gang gave her a smirk as he said, "Damn right

you took a wrong turn. This is our turf and we don't like people

passing through without paying the proper toll. So hand over all the

money that you got."

"I don't have any money." Akane didn't like this situation. The

group outnumbered her by twenty to one and she was backing into

an alley with no exit. She began assessing her opponents and saw

that these boys were a lot tougher opposition than the normal mob

she faced every morning. Nearly all of them were brandishing a blunt

or sharp weapon and it looked like they knew how to use them. Still,

she was Akane Tendo of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!

She was contemptuous of anyone who relied on weapons and as her

father had taught her, the best weapons were the ones that she had

been born with. She slowly took a ready stance as she tried one final

time to reason her way out. "I really don't want to do this so if you'll

just step aside and let me pass, then you'll never have to see me

again."

The leader of the band was a tall, heavily muscled boy with long

black hair. He wore a combination of a blue jeans and white shirt and

black boots. He also sported an open faced leather jacket with a tiger

imprinted on the back. He smirked down at her prey, which happened

to be a half a head shorter than she was.

"Well now. It seems that the little kitten thinks her claws are sharp

enough to go up against me, eh?"

Another one of the gang tapped her leader on the shoulder to get

her attention. "Hey! I think I recognize her. That's Akane Tendo."

"Akane Tendo?" The leader said, then gave Akane a sneer. "Ah

yes, now I remember. You're the little princess that beats up forty

boys every morning while going to Furinkan, right?" He didn't even

bother to wait for Akane to reply. "Well now, the tales of your little

exploits have reached us here and I'm HONORED to be facing

against such a worthy opponent." The leader said the last bit with

sarcasm. "So tell me Tendo, are you as good as people say you are?

Or are you just taking that martial arts stance for show?"

The last comment stung Akane's pride as she tensed up. No one

insults her skills as a martial artist. She had gotten quite enough of

that from Ranma's taunts.

"Why don't you step up and find out for yourself?"

The Tigress snickered as she took a step forward and said, "You

know, I think I will. In fact, a cute little girl like you should be able to

AMUSE us all after our little dance. If you don't have any money

then I think we can think of OTHER ways that you pay. "

The rest of the gang gave off hoots and shouts of encouragement

as they made a circle around the two combatants. Wagers were made

among the gang members as to how long Akane would last against

the leader. Some of the wagers were not about fighting either.

Akane warily took a ready stance as she began assessing her

opponent and the situation she had gotten herself into. This was not

good. The other boys were cutting off her routes of escape and it

looked like the leader was no slouch when it came to close combat.

Even if Akane were to defeat their leader, the other members would

surely jump her. For the first time in her life, Akane knew true fear.

This was not like the daily fights against a horde of misguided suitors

and Kuno. The stakes were far direr. The prize to this fight was her

very life and perhaps something more. She didn't like the leering

glances these boys were giving her.

"Let's get started shall we?" The boy took a kickboxing stance.

"The sooner we finish this warm-up, the sooner we can get to the

REAL workout." The last part was said with a meaning that everyone

understood. There were several more hoots and shouts as Akane

began to feel the fear that made her fight so hard every day.

Akane took in a deep breath as her opponent charged at her with a

roundhouse kick. The Tendo girl barely managed to duck the blow as

she punched at her foe's midsection.

Unfortunately for her, the street fighter twisted to the side so that

her punch barely glanced off his flank. The force of her strike was

wasted as he twisted and delivered an elbow strike to Akane's face.

Akane brought her arms up to block, but the force behind the blow

was more than she counted on, as she was sent backward. She did a

tuck and roll, and came back to her feet.

"Not bad. But I could see that one coming a mile away." The gang

leader came at Akane with a triple punch, high-kick combination with

a speed that was greater than what Akane was used to. The Tendo

girl valiantly tried to dodge, but her reaction time was too slow. She

managed to fend off the punches, but the kick caught her in the chest

and her breath was driven out of he as she was sent sprawling

backward.

Akane recovered and charged at him again, trying for a two-hit

strike to the face. The first punch was evaded easily and the second

punch just grazed the gang leader's cheek. Akane then followed

through with another set of punches, but these too were easily

dodged or blocked. Akane continued to throw punch after punch,

but the gang leader dodged them. Though his speed was nowhere

near Ranma's, Akane's habit of telegraphing her moves was still

enough for him to see and counter.

"Oh come on now. I would have thought that the great Akane

Tendo was better than this." The arrogant boy then countered with a

fast strike to her solar plexus. Akane managed to block, but was

caught completely off guard as the street fighter spun around and

kicked her in the side with a reverse spin kick. At the same time, he

took out a small object from his coat pocket. Then a moment later,

Akane heard the hiss of metal and a flash of silver. She then felt a

sharp pain in her right arm. She backed off and looked down at her

forearm. Her eyes widened as she saw a crimson line across it. She

looked up and saw her opponent casually flipping a butterfly knife in

his right hand.

"Hey! No fair! You're not supposed to use weapons!" Akane said

angrily.

"Hey, I didn't hear anyone say any rules." The boy shrugged as

he lunged at Akane with the knife. Akane had to side step, then grab

the extended wrist in her hands. She began applying pressure to get

him to release the knife and managed it. When the weapon dropped

from his grasp as he winced in pain, Akane pivoted and threw him

over his shoulder. The gang leader crashed into a set of trashcans,

causing garbage to scatter. He was a bit dazed as Akane charged to

finish him off.

Unfortunately for Akane, the gang leader grabbed hold of some

gooey material from the trash and flung it into her face while shouting

out, "You little bitch!"

The youngest Tendo girl staggered back when her eyes were

suddenly blinded. It was then that she felt something slam into her

gut and caused her lose her breath. She then felt a pair of fists plow

into her chest as the leader of the gang started hitting her at full

force. Pain like she never felt before was registered as she tried to

fight back. However, her fights with Kuno and the other boys at

school had never prepared her to take damage at this level. Kuno had

always held back and the other boys would try to take her down with

the least amount of force as possible. As a result, her endurance and

threshold to pain was relatively low. Her stamina was also lower than

her opponent's was. She couldn't even use her Stonebreaker Fist on

her attacker, as he wasn't letting up for a moment for her to get her

focus.

The gang leader was a more seasoned fighter than Akane. Living

on the streets had taught him the value of not letting his opponent

have a chance to fight back. He knew several different styles and was

able to pick up on Akane's kenpo training. He had found out early on

that Akane was strong, despite the fact that she was shorter and

younger than he was. Those near misses had shown him that getting

hit by her was not a good thing. Right now, he had Akane dazed and

off balance, so he continued to hit her with fast jabs and quick kicks,

aiming for her more sensitive areas. He also saw that anger made her

more reckless and taunted her at every opportunity.

After taking several hits to the ribs and abdomen, Akane fought

back with a hard right to his face. She felt a bit of satisfaction when

her fist connected with her opponent's nose. However, the strength

in which she put into the punch was less than effective as she had

already begun to tire from her exertions and injuries. Her previous

battles had also not given her much on stamina and she was

breathing hard.

The larger boy ignored the bloody nose and grabbed her still

extended arm in a viselike grip. He then shot one fist straight toward

her shoulder while twisting the arm with the other hand. When the

blow connected, Akane let out a scream as she felt her shoulder pop

and the arm bone wrench free from her socket. She then felt even

more pain as the gang leader swung her by the injured arm and

slammed her into one of the alley's walls.

Before Akane had a chance to get up, she was savagely kicked in

the side, and then she felt a tremendous blow to her temple. Akane's

vision swam as she blindly lashed out with a fist. Unfortunately, it

was with the dislocated arm. She fought back the urge to scream out

in pain as it moved forward. The blow was stopped as the street

fighter grabbed her wrist and hauled her up with one hand. Akane

cried out in pain as the gang leader mercilessly slammed a fist into her

gut then released his hold on her wrist. He whipped his leg around

and delivered a kick to her left side. Akane was sent back down as

she crashed into some more trashcans. She felt a sharp pain in one

leg as something cut into the skin. Focusing down at the ground, she

saw a gaping cut in her right leg and nearby, a broken bottle had

some red stains on the jagged edges.

Akane held back the urge to cry as she was on her knees and in

some serious pain. This was not at all like the fights at school. There

was no honor or formal challenges. Her opponent was relentless and

wasn't giving her a chance to fight back. Unlike Kuno and the boys

at school, the gang leader wasn't pulling any of her punches and had

cheated a couple of times. What few hits Akane had managed to land

on her were not as damaging as her own injuries. Now he was coming

to finish her off.

Akane knew that she had made a grave error in accepting his

challenge. Unlike her usual opponents, the gang leader was a far

more seasoned fighter and had no qualms in taking advantage of a

downed opponent or not sticking to the rules. His street-fighting

skills were more than a match for Akane's moderate combat abilities.

The youngest Tendo daughter had gotten so used to the daily

brawls at school that her martial arts ability had not improved

significantly since they started. Ranma's assessment of her skills had

proven to be correct. She had fallen into a pattern and had no

incentive to improve. As a result, her movements had become

predictable and easy to counter. Despite her brute strength and

aggressive behavior, it was no substitute for strategy. She had

fought blindly, hoping that her usual berserk tactics would work, but

the gang leader had broken through her awkward movements and

almost non-existent defense.

"Not bad Tendo. You actually managed to hit me a few times. But I

win." The boy spat up a little blood as he dusted herself off and then

walked over to where Akane was still on her hands and knees. "Well,

now that the preliminaries are over, let's get on with the main event!"

Akane's eyes snapped open at that comment as she looked up

and saw the evil smile he was giving her. There was no doubt in her

mind what would happen if she were to let him come any closer. With

a desperate strength she got to her feet and tried to rush past him.

However, the big boy proved to be too fast for her as he grabbed a

handful of her blouse and threw her back onto the ground. Her top

tore off, leaving the upper part of her body exposed except for her

bra.

"Well now, I'm in for a real treat." Her tormentor smiled as he

gazed on her breasts. He then lunged at her.

Akane tried to kick out at her attacker but the boy used his right

leg to block it. Akane screamed out as he landed on top of her. Then

she felt some hands grab hold of her wrists. She felt more pain in her

dislocated arm as it was pulled further from its usual place. She

looked up and saw that two members of the gang had grabbed hold

of her arms and were leering at her.

Akane's fear tripled as she realized that her worst nightmare was

about to come true. She stiffened as she felt the gang leader tear off

the remainder of her school dress, exposing her bare legs and panties.

She let off another scream, hoping that her cries would be answered,

but no one seemed to hear her calls.

"Man, I love it when they scream! Makes it better!"

"Save some of her for the rest of us boss!"

"Sorry guys, but she's just too cute to share!"

Akane's heart was beating hard as she realized that she was just

one step away from being raped. All of her training, all those years of

practice and those early morning fights had meant nothing. Despite

her hard work to prevent this from happening, her worst nightmare

was about to become reality. She writhed and struggled to free

herself, but with two toughs holding both her arms, one of which was

seriously damaged and the large boy pinning her down, it was no

use. When she felt the gang leader's cold hand brush against her

panties, she felt a nauseating sickness overwhelm her. Akane fainted

from the strain as her undergarment was ripped away.

Just as the leader was about to unzip his pants, something sharp

pierced the nape of his neck. It felt like a bee sting, but as soon as the

pain was registered, he experienced a feeling of dizziness. Suddenly,

he slumped over Akane like a rag doll, totally unconscious.

The two boys who had been holding Akane's arms wondered why

their leader would just drop off like that when they also felt

something sting into their necks. They raised their hands in reflex to

the sudden pain, but then collapsed to the ground like sacks of

potatoes.

The rest of the gang was in a state of confusion as to what was

going on when three others suddenly yelped in pain and then

dropped to the asphalt. Realizing that they were being attacked, the

remaining street toughs began taking stances and brought out their

weapons. It was then that they heard a bone-chilling Chinese war cry

as Ranma Saotome leapt down from the roof of a two-story building.

One minute later

Ranma had made short work of the gang when he had come down

to Akane's rescue. Despite his inability to see, his martial arts

training in both the Unseen Light and Amazon Wu Shu was more

than enough to beat back the attackers. The gang members were

astounded at how easily he dodged their attacks. They couldn't

blind-side him, couldn't get him from behind. It was if he knew what

they were about to do before they did. One member thought that they

would have more of an advantage in the dark and used his throwing

stars to take out all the lights that were illuminating the alley. This

turned out to be a big mistake as Ranma's blindness gave him a major

advantage.

After giving them all painful demonstrations of what he was

capable of, the street toughs got the message and left the scene.

They picked up their fallen comrades and made a fast departure from

the alley.

After making certain that his enemies were gone, Ranma rushed

over to the bruised and bloody form of Akane. He reached out with

his senses and gave a sigh of relief as he ascertained that Akane was

just unconscious from the head injury and the loss of blood. He then

set to work in tending to her injuries.

Using the Hidden Weapon techniques that he had learned from

his battles with Mousse, he began making his tools as a healer

appear. Although he didn't like the myopic martial artist, he had to

admit that his techniques were extremely useful in carrying his

medical supplies as well as weapons. Using his seventh sense and

enhanced sense of touch, he began probing Akane's body for the

extent of her injuries.

Hmmm, a few bruised ribs, several large bruises to her upper

body, mild concussion and a large gash on her right leg. Some other

cuts on her as well as a dislocated right arm. Fixable though.

Ranma silently thanked his adopted mother Jasmine and his old

sensei Koga for training him as he set to work. He also gave a nod of

thanks to Razor, the weaponsmith. Like all the things that the young

blade maker made, the silver flute that he had crafted for Ranma had a

few hidden surprises in it. By activating a small switch, a thin sheet of

metal would cover the holes and activate a small, air-compression

mechanism. The instrument became a fully functional dart launcher

that shot out tiny, sharp projectiles that contained a special, fast-

acting knockout drug. This was what he used to take out five

members of the gang.

A few pressure points applied to the right spots brought Akane

back from a near comatose state to a dreamlike state of sleep. After

receiving a concussion, Ranma didn't want any complications with a

loss of consciousness. After minute, Akane's moaned and her eyes

flickered a bit. Satisfied that Akane would remain at least conscious,

the blind boy concentrated on her other injuries. With a quick

motion, he reset her arm back into her shoulder while using a

pressure point to deaden the pain. Her leg was expertly bandaged

and the secret herbal solution that he had applied to her wounds

would make certain that there would be no infections. In fact, the

solution would prevent scars from being formed as it accelerated the

damaged tissue's healing processes. Akane's head also had a

bandage wrapped around it. Utilizing certain pressure points, Ranma

relieved Akane's tired muscles and stimulated the bruises to heal

faster. Her bruised ribs were also checked and tended to with some

more pressure points. After ten minutes, Ranma completed his

ministrations on the fallen Tendo. Making a small blanket appear he

gently wrapped up her body

During his treatments, Akane's eyes had opened and she watched

with surprise as Ranmatended to her wounds with all the gentle care

that Dr. Tofu had given her in the past. She looked down and

observed with fascination as his skilled hands worked with precision

and speed. She felt absolutely no pain whatsoever as he removed the

tiny shards of glass from her leg. After striking a few pressure points

to deaden the nerves, Ranma used some kind of blurring motion with

his hands to take out each splinter and any other debris. Then he

applied some foul smelling lotion to her wounds and wrapped them

up with some bandages that he made appear out of nowhere. For the

longest time, Akane said nothing as she let Ranma do his work.

After the last wound had been tended to, Ranma made his healing

supplies disappear and picked up Akane in his arms. The Tendo girl

gave a surprised yelp as she felt herself being gathered up in his

muscular arms.

Ranma smiled as he bent his head toward Akane. "Oh good,

you're awake." Of course, he didn't tell her that he had already

sensed her regaining consciousness some time ago.

"What are you doing? Put me down you pervert!" Akane realized

she was all but naked underneath that blanket and she tried to swing

at Ranma, but he easily brushed off the weak attack.

Ranma sighed as he leapt to the top of a near by roof with Akane

still in his arms. Akane could do nothing in her condition as she was

being carried. "Sheesh. You'd think that a person would be a little

more grateful after someone saves her life."

"I didn't need your help then and I don't need it now! Put me

down!"

Ranma gave her an annoyed look and said in a calm voice, "You're

in no condition to get home on your own and I certainly won't leave

my patient in a place like that."

"I didn't need your "

"Oh sure. I suppose that you had those boys right where you

wanted when they almost raped you. Just what were you thinking

back there? "

Akane became silent as she remembered that part. "Well I would

have "

"Would have what?" Ranma interrupted. "Tendo-san, you were

barely conscious when I found you. If I had gotten there one minute

later then you wouldn't be here arguing right now."

"Why you " Akane's reply was cut short as he struck the Mute

pressure point on her vocal cords. Akane tried to say another nasty

remark but found that the muscles to her voicebox were frozen. She

became angry at being silenced but then Ranma's expression turned

stern.

"Your choice Tendo-san. You can either agree to keep quiet and

I'll unfreeze your larynx. Or you can a wait a week in silence for the

pressure point to wear off."

Akane fumed for a moment then realized that she was letting her

anger get the better of her again. It had not helped her in her fight

against those boys and she realized that Ranma was right. He had

saved her and tended to her injuries without taking advantage of her.

She looked into the depths of those blue eyes and saw that he was

genuinely concerned for her well being, just like Dr. Tofu did

whenever she went to his clinic. Right now, he was a little irritated

over her stubbornness and she had to admit that it wasn't doing her

any good.

After a long while, Akane nodded her assent not to argue and

Ranma tapped the release point to her vocal cords. Ranma shook his

head and mumbled, "Why do I always get the patients that give me

the most backtalk?"

Akane's eyes narrowed a bit at those words but said nothing.

Then, she got to thinking about what had happened in that alley. It

was true. With no thought to his own safety, Ranma had taken on a

band of merciless thugs to save her life. He had also given her

medical treatment that would have given Dr. Tofu a run for his

money. It was so confusing. They had been against each other like

cats and dogs ever since her father had announced the engagement.

She had seen no reason to try to understand this boy as she had

assumed that he was like all the others. He had certainly humiliated

her during that first challenge fight and had referred her as a 'brat'

ever since then. And yet, here he was, carrying her home after

beating off her attackers and binding her wounds. He had not done

anything to hurt her and he was caring for her like a doctor would his

patient. He had displayed remarkable healing skills and Akane

couldn't help but wonder how he did some of those things. His

personality had taken on a totally different appearance from the

arrogant, condescending person she knew as he had made certain

that she felt no pain during his treatments. For a brief moment, Akane

was reminded of the gentle chiropractor that she had a crush on.

Maybe I was wrong about him. She gazed at the boy who had

saved her as they came near his home.

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: What can I say that will make any difference?

: Thoughts

" ": Chinese Language

In part one, Kasumi had just encountered Ranma and had been told

of the crimes that Genma had committed in his name. She had also

deduced that Ranma is blind, thereby gaining his respect. Nabiki had

been tailing the blind martial artist in hopes of learning his secrets.

What she finds are more questions than answers. Kasumi is unable

to keep what she learned about Ranma's past to herself and tells

Nabiki, which shocks the middle sister to the core. Meanwhile,

Akane, in her preoccupation to defeat Ranma had unintentionally

wandered into a bad part of town and was attacked by a street gang.

Despite her best efforts, she was defeated by the gang leader and

was nearly raped when Ranma appeared on the scene to save her.

Using his skills as a healer, Ranma tended to her wounds and is now

carrying her to Pepper's Place

Chapter Eight

Akane and Her Sisters Part 2

(Secrets and Confirmations)

"Ranma is blind?!" Nabiki couldn't believe what her elder sister

had said.

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, it's true. Ranma is completely sightless. He

admitted it to me when we met yesterday."

"He just told you?" Nabiki asked, still in shock.

"Well " Kasumi's cheeks reddened a bit. "I sort of figured it

out for myself, and when I told him that I knew, he admitted it."

"YOU figured it out?!" The middle sister couldn't believe that she

could miss an important detail such as this when her normally

oblivious sibling noticed it from the start.

"I'm not as dense as some people think I am. "Kasumi said with a

small smile. "Haven't you ever noticed that his eyes don't react to

bright light or that he doesn't focus on anything in particular?"

Nabiki paused as she thought back to that last fight with Kuno

when Ranma used his flute to blind the kendoist. She then recalled all

the other times when Kuno tried to ambush Ranma from behind. The

blind boy never had looked in Kuno's direction whenever he was

attacked. In light of this new information, it made sense. Why would

a sightless person look in any direction in particular?

She began compiling the other information she had amassed about

Ranma and made the connections. The way he always let his

opponents make the first move. Why he never seemed interested in

movies or anything on television. Why he always ran his fingers

across whatever he was reading. Nabiki had found it especially

strange when she had seen him one time running his fingers across

the sign of the boy's restroom before going in. However, being blind

did not explain a few other things, such as the displays at the archery

classes and basketball court.

"It can't be. I mean, some of the stuff about him fits in with a

blind person, but the way he handles himself he can't be blind."

"He is blind, Nabiki." Kasumi affirmed. "He couldn't tell you what

color your shirt was or read a distant traffic sign. He couldn't see the

images on a television screen or see anything on the monitor on your

computer. I'm not at all certain at how he accomplishes other things,

but he did tell me that he had trained in a martial art called the Unseen

Light."

"Unseen Light? He mentioned that before." Nabiki paused as she

thought about it, then shook her head after slapping her forehead as

she realized the irony. "I've always wondered what that name meant,

but now, it's funny. Blind people practicing a fighting style that has

the word 'unseen.' in it. Talk about missing the most obvious clue."

"Yes, he had us all fooled for a while, although I am rather

annoyed at Mr. Saotome for not telling us an important detail like

Ranma's blindness. After all, he was the one who caused Ranma to

lose his sight!" Kasumi's voice raised in tone as she remembered

Ranma's story.

"Nani?"

"It's true. Ranma's father is not a very good man, and I'm rather

ashamed that our father is associated with someone like that."

Nabiki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kasumi was always

the dutiful daughter and never once objected to Soun's wishes.

Whatever Ranma had told her that day must have had some impact

for her to express her own ideals.

Meanwhile, at Pepper's Place

Cologne and the other Amazons were getting worried. Ranma had

yet to return from what was supposed to be a short delivery. They

had begun to suspect that the blind boy had run into another one of

Genma's ambushes. When it was almost nine o'clock, they were

ready to assault the Tendo dojo. It was then that Shampoo heard a

knock at the service entrance.

"Hey! Open up! It's me!"

"Ranma!" Shampoo gleefully ran toward the back to let her cousin

and intended love interest in. The other Amazons breathed a sigh of

relief as they waited for the purple-haired girl to return with their best

warrior. A moment later, they heard her shout.

"Aiya! Great-grandmother! Come quickly!"

A few minutes later, Akane was placed on a bed in one of the

spare guest rooms on the second floor where Pepper made her

comfortable. Near the doorway, Ranma finished with his story to the

others about his run-in with the gang that assaulted Akane.

" so you see, I couldn't just leave her there and I certainly

couldn't take her to the dojo. Not with Genma and Soun there."

Cologne nodded as she said, "You did the right thing Ranma.

However, we still must contact her family and let them know that

she's here."

"I know. I'll be on the phone." Ranma left the room and went to

the front counter. Taking out a phone book from under the cash

register, he began flipping through the pages until his fingers traced

the number belonging to the Tendo family. He then began dialing on

the phone beside the register.

At the Tendo residence, Kasumi had just finished telling Nabiki

what she learned from Ranma when the phone rang. She went to

answer the call, leaving her sister to consider what she had been told.

Good grief I never suspected something like this. Daddy's

friend must be the biggest idiot in the world to have pulled those

stunts! Throwing his son into a pit of cats?! Selling off his son for a

fish?! Engaging him to all those girls?! I can understand now why

Ranma doesn't want to fulfill the promise to unite the schools.

Nabiki started thinking about all this information about Ranma.

She had her answers, but there were still more questions. How is

Ranma able to do what he does, despite his inability to see? Does he

know some kind of special techniques? That could prove very

profitable if she could discover his secrets. Then she remembered her

promise to Kasumi. She had sworn that she would not use this

information to exploit him. She sighed as she realized that her promise

might have just caused her to lose a valuable resource. But then

again, the pledge didn't really specify which Tendo girl was to marry

him. Her father had been stressing that Akane would be the one to

marry him, but with a few well-placed words, that could all change.

Nabiki decided to give it some more thoughts. In retrospect, she

didn't find it too difficult to be place herself standing before the altar

next to Ranma.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard Kasumi's shout.

"WHAT?! WHAT DO MEAN?! OH NO! YES, NABIKI AND I WILL BE RIGHT OVER!"

Nabiki could tell that something big had just happened to make

Kasumi so upset. She raced toward the next room and saw Kasumi

frantically dialing on the phone.

"Kasumi? What's going on?"

"I'm calling Dr. Tofu! I need to tell him to meet us at a restaurant

called Pepper's Place! We have to get there right away!"

"What's wrong?" Nabiki was very concerned. She had rarely seen

her sister in this state.

"It's Akane! She's been hurt badly!" As she waited for the young

doctor to pick up the phone, she took out a pad and pencil and began

writing a note to notify her father and Genma as to where they would

be, should they arrive later.

Fifteen minutes later at the restaurant, Kasumi and her sister were

sitting at a large table with Cologne and Ranma, while Dr. Tofu and

the others were upstairs with Akane. Kasumi was trying her best to

keep a level head as she and the group waited for the physician to

finish examining her sister.

At the time, Ranma had finished retelling his story to the Tendos.

"On behalf of our family, I would like to give our thanks to you for

saving our sister." Kasumi and Nabiki gave Ranma a small bow. "On

that note, I would like to also give our apologies with the way Akane

had been acting against you. She had no right to judge you the way

she did."

Ranma nodded. "I'm only glad that I was able to save her in time.

As for her attitude against me and boys in general, although I do not

care for it, I can understand why she doesn't like the opposite

gender. Perhaps, I too have been quick to judge her."

"Oh?"

"Yes. After this attack, I can now see that she has some basis for

being afraid to let a boy come close to her. She was scared of me

when I tended to her injuries and carried her here. I suppose she

feared that I was going to do the same thing that those thugs almost

did to her. Furthermore, I can understand why she saw my skills as a

martial artist as a threat. She was afraid that if she got beaten, then

she wouldn't be able to stop me from taking advantage of her. I

guess that I was a bit too hard on her since I beat her that first time."

"Yes, well in any case, I must agree that she does need to improve

in her manners. I will endeavor to teach her better etiquette." Kasumi

replied.

"That would be appreciated, but for now, Akane needs to have all

the support she can get." Ranma said. "She's been through a

traumatic experience and will need the support of her family."

At that moment, Dr. Tofu Ono came down the stairs and took a

seat beside Ranma. Because of the severity of the case, the good

physician was able to keep his sanity in the presence of the eldest

Tendo sister.

"Well Dr. Tofu, will Akane be all right?" Kasumi asked.

The chiropractor nodded as he replied, "Oh she'll be fine. The

physical injuries she sustained are mending very nicely." He then

turned toward Ranma. "Pepper has told me that you were the one

who treated Akane's wounds."

Ranma nodded as he extended a hand. "Ranma Saotome of the

Joketsuzoku, healer and warrior of Nieuchiezu, at your service."

"Joketsuzoku? Nieuchiezu?" Tofu repeated as he shook his hand.

"You're from the Chinese Amazons?"

"You've heard of us?" Cologne inquired.

"Yes I have." Tofu replied with a bit of awe in his voice. "My

sensei had told me about the legendary warriors and healers of the

Joketsuzoku. The Chinese Amazons are among the best in both

martial and healing arts."

"Why thank you." Cologne said in a pleased voice. She liked this

young doctor and from what she could read from his aura, he had

considerable skill in the martial arts as well. He would make a fine

addition to the tribe. The matriarch put away that thought for later.

Dr. Tofu turned his attention back to Ranma. "I must admit, your

skills as a healer are most impressive. Akane's ki energy is already

replenishing itself and the way you treated her wounds are exactly

what I would have done. In fact, there was nothing more that I could

do for her that you haven't already done. You even set her shoulder

properly."

"Thank you Dr. Tofu. I owe it all to my sensei and my mother

Jasmine. She happens to be the best healer in the village. In any case,

going back to the subject of Akane, I would recommend that she

remain here for the night. She's been through a lot and I'm afraid that

her experience may have left her emotionally distressed, to put it

lightly."

Tofu nodded as he turned to Kasumi and Nabiki. "I tend to agree

with his assessment. I would prefer that she was not moved, at least

until morning. I used a sleeper point to help her rest, but I would be

more at ease if you two were to stay with her. I believe she would be

more comfortable with some of her family was with her."

"Of course Dr. Tofu." Kasumi agreed. "But, my father and Mr.

Saotome should be already home by now, and I would think that they

would be worried about us being gone."

"Do not worry Miss Tendo. I'll make a call to your father."

Cologne said as she got up. "I will explain everything and tell him

that you and your sister will be spending the night here to keep

Akane company. I'm certain that he can do without you for one

night. You and your sister may sleep in the spare guestroom. We'll

make all the necessary arrangements."

"Elder Cologne."

The aged matriarch turned back to Ranma. "Yes?"

"You will explain EVERYTHING to them?"

Cologne smirked. "Do not worry Ranma. I'll make certain they

understand that their presence would not be required."

"Thank you Elder." Ranma paused to listen as Cologne hopped

away on her staff.

"What did she mean by that?" Tofu asked. "Shouldn't Akane's

father be with her as well?"

Ranma gave a long and tired sigh as he replied, "Well, to put it

mildly, I really have no desire to face Mr. Tendo or my father any time

soon. That was the main reason why I brought Akane here instead of

her own home. You see, my father and her father are bound and

determined to make me fulfill a pledge of theirs and if I ever showed

up at the dojo, they would do anything and everything to keep me

there."

"So what is this pledge?"

Kasumi spoke up to answer. "I'm afraid that father and Mr.

Saotome had promised to unite the schools of the Anything Goes

Martial Arts. To that end, Ranma was supposed to marry one of us."

"R-R-Really?" Tofu was a bit staggered by this news. His mind

began to fill up with images of Kasumi and the familiar madness that

usually came with being in close proximity with the eldest daughter

began to surface.

"However, my father and his father had decided that Akane

should marry Ranma, being that they are both martial artists."

As suddenly as the madness appeared, it disappeared. It was

unnoticed to all except for one person. Ranma's acute senses picked

up Tofu's sudden change in behavior. He had heard the doctor's

heart rate jump from fifty beats per minute, to a hundred and twenty

and then back down to fifty again. His breathing rate had almost

tripled in that brief instant. His body temperature had gone up several

degrees and Ranma could almost feel the slight flushed look in his

face. His personal aura was the dead giveaway. The blind boy could

feel the aberrations in his ki energy and the heavy emotions

emanating from it. The feelings were all directed toward where

Kasumi was sitting and Ranma noticed that Tofu was trying very

hard to keep them in check.

Well now. It seems that the good doctor has a bit of a torch for

Kasumi. I don't blame him. If she weren't a Tendo, then I would have

snatched her up myself and what am I thinking? Ranma shook his

head slightly to clear it of such thoughts. He had already promised to

himself that he would not wed a Tendo. He would never give that

stupid panda the satisfaction of fulfilling the one promise that Genma

intended to keep after breaking so many others.

"Excuse me, Ranma-san?"

Ranma snapped out of his train of thought at the sound of Tofu's

voice. "Yes?"

"When I was examining Akane, I noticed that some anesthetic

shiatsu points were used on her."

"You saw them?" Ranma was impressed. If Dr. Tofu could see the

almost invisible signs of pressure point manipulation, then he must

be a very good specialist in that field.

"I did. You must be a very good shiatsu expert to have hit those

particular points. They happen to be some of the most difficult areas.

You used just the right amount of pressure and all in the right

places."

Ranma blushed a bit at the comment. "Well, among my tribe, I'm

considered a fair acupressure and acupuncture user."

"Now don't you be modest Ranma-san. You're quite good. In fact,

I also noticed that you used Akane's Mute point on her. It would

take a high level expert to have been able to affect so small a nerve

cluster. I've only seen one other case like that recently. Tell me, were

you the one who froze the vocal cords of a certain Tatewaki Kuno?"

Ranma was a bit surprised, then he smirked as he replied, "I will

answer that question with this question. Were you the one who

unfroze Kuno's big mouth?"

"Touch "

Ranma and the others discussed a few things for a while before

Cologne returned.

"I have spoken with Soun Tendo and he has been told

everything."

"And what did he say?" Ranma asked.

"It was hard to tell. He started bawling at full force and he kept on

saying Akane's name in a whining voice."

"That's Daddy all right." Nabiki affirmed. "Is he still on the line?"

"Yes."

"Let me talk to him." Dr. Tofu went over to where the phone was

and picked up the receiver. After five minutes of what seemed to be

an eternity, He returned and said, "Well, I've explained it all and told

him that Akane will be back by tomorrow afternoon. As per your

wishes, I also told him not to come near this place until then. He'll call

Furinkan and tell them that Akane and me won't be in class tomorrow

because of this. It's all set."

"Very good Tofu-san." The elder then turned to the Tendo sisters.

"Now let me show you where the two of you will be sleeping. I

believe that the girls have some spare night clothes that you can

use." Cologne began hopping up the stairs, leading the other Tendo

girls.

The night went by without incident as Akane slept in the

establishment. By morning, she awoke to the sound of the morning

birds and the first rays of sunlight appearing through the bedroom

window. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was

that her body was sore in many places. She moaned a bit before

attempting to sit up. Her head throbbed as she got up. One hand

went up to rub her right temple and she noticed that her head was

wearing a bandage. When she looked out the front door, she saw a

familiar person entering the room.

"Good morning Akane. How are you feeling?"

"Kasumi! W-W-Where am I? H-H-How did I get here? I " Her

head began to throb even more as the terrible memories of the

previous night came back to her. The fight, the humiliation and her

clothes being torn off as her opponent and his friends prepared to

"Akane?"

The youngest sister's face turned pure white as she recalled the

events of the previous day. Her body trembled and she began to

breathe faster. Kasumi noticed her sister's agitation and put the

breakfast tray down. She went over to comfort her sibling by

wrapping her arms around her just as she started to cry.

"Kasumi! They they almost I couldn't stop them!

Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"There, there Akane. It's all right. It's all over. You're safe now."

(Whimper) "I tried to fight them off, but that guy was too

strong. I couldn't beat him. If if Ranma hadn't shown up

then " (sob).

"Yes. I know. Nabiki and I have been here with you since Ranma

had brought you here. He saved you. You're safe. That's all that

matters."

Akane nodded, albeit reluctantly as she recalled that it had indeed

been Ranma who had rescued her from being raped and probably

killed. She continued to sob into her sister's shoulder and after a few

minutes, she began hiccuping and finally went back to sleep. Kasumi

laid her back onto the bed and quietly exited the room.

Sometime later, after Ranma and the other girls had left for school,

Pepper had decided not to open the restaurant as she, Cologne and

Akane's sisters took turns caring for Ranma's patient. It was around

noon when she went up to give Akane some lunch.

Akane awoke to see a strange woman enter the room. She was

about around her mid-thirties and had jet-black hair tied in a bun. Her

eyes were a warm, hazel color and she had a pleasant figure. She was

wearing a red silk kimono and she moved with nary a sound. She

smiled warmly at her as she presented a tray that had a large bowl of

steaming ramen on it.

"Hello Akane-san. I am Pepper, the owner of this building. I have

your lunch all ready for you. Ranma has told me that your injuries

should be all healed by today, so it would be good for you to keep up

your strength."

"Where are my sisters?"

"They are downstairs having lunch right now, but they'll be

coming up shortly, so don't worry. So how are you feeling?"

Akane paused for a moment, assessing her body's injuries. "All

right I guess. I don't feel as much pain as I did this morning."

"Excellent! Ranma had done his job well."

"Yeah I guess he did." Akane didn't like the fact that she was

indebted to a boy, but it had been a far better outcome than what

would have happened, had the Unseen Light martial artist not arrived

in time. The young girl was still in mental conflict. She hated boys,

right? They were nothing but perverted jerks, yet the one person she

despised the most had just saved her and didn't take advantage of

her. His personality had changed from the arrogant, smart-talking

martial artist, to a gentle and understanding healer. He didn't give

any snide remarks, other than that time when he used that Mute

pressure point on her. It was just so confusing.

"Akane-san?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since last night,

and you didn't have any breakfast."

Akane looked down at tray in front of her and realized that she

was hungry. The smell of the ramen before her made her stomach

rumble. Giving a nod of thanks to Pepper, she began to consume the

meal before her.

"This is really good."

"Thank you Akane-san. It's my own family recipe."

Akane ate for a while in silence as Pepper watched. Her mind was

still occupied with thoughts of Ranma. Just who was he? She had

thought that she had him pegged down as just another stupid boy

but now she wasn't so sure. When her father had announced the

engagement and had been pushing her to marry up with him, she had

become extremely angry at the fact that she was being forced to be

engaged to someone she had only just met. To make matters worse,

her status as the best martial artist in Nerima had been destroyed

when the very same person defeated her. She had become resentful

of his higher skill level and it had become a bit of an obsession to

beat him and regain her title. Yet, his later battles with Kuno and

Ryoga had shown her that he was far more skilled and powerful than

she had first thought. She had trained hard to try and catch up to

him, but when it came right down to it; her martial arts had improved

very little. That fact had been made painfully clear when she went up

against that gang leader. He had not come from any dojo, nor

practiced any particular style, but his street-fighting skills were more

than a match for Akane. It was also because that he had cheated to

win that really made Akane furious. The girl shivered at the memories

of his cold, cruel hands as he ripped her clothes off and almost

violated her. If Ranma had not saved her, then

"Akane-san?"

Akane snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Pepper's voice.

"Yes?"

"May I ask you a few things? You don't have to answer if you

don't want to."

"Uh okay. What do you want to know?"

"Ranma has told me about your attitude toward him and I must

admit that I'm surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that Ranma is a very good catch and I would have

thought that you would be glad that you have an engagement to

him."

Akane's automatic denial surfaced at once. "Me?! Happy to be

engaged to that jerk?! No way! Why would anyone want that

arrogant, smart-aleck?"

"Now Akane-san, I do not think that you're being very fair. As far

as to what Ranma and the other girls have told me, he hasn't done

anything to you to deserve such treatment. What exactly did he do to

you that he warrants such hostility?"

"Well he "

"Is it because he defeated you so easily and showed that you

needed to improve?"

"Well he "

"Is it because he has gotten so much attention at school since he

stopped the morning fights against his fellow Amazons and showed

great respect toward the rest of the girls?"

"I wouldn't say "

"Is it because he called you an ill-mannered brat, though your

oldest sister had admitted to me that your social skills need a lot of

improvement?"

"Now he had no right to "

"Or is it the fact that he had saved your life, gave you the proper

medical treatment, brought you here to be cared for, and is even

taking extra notes in class for you so you wouldn't miss anything?"

Akane became silent at that last comment. A minute later, the last

bit of information hit her. "What? He's taking notes for me?"

"Yes. Ranma took a tape recorder with him when he and the others

left for school. He's planning to give you that tape when he returns.

Since you both share many of the same classes, he thought that you

would need it to keep from falling behind."

"But why would he do that for me?"

Pepper looked at Akane's confused expression, then smiled. "He

of course will not admit it but he doesn't think you're all that bad."

"Really?"

"Yes. You don't know much about Ranma, now do you? Well, I'll

admit that I'm not an expert on him myself, but I've received many

letters from his mother Jasmine over the years. In any case, Ranma

was not born in the Amazon village. He was adopted by Jasmine

when he was eight and let me tell you, it wasn't easy for him. Being a

male and an outsider to boot, Ranma found it very difficult to make

friends with the village children at first. The Amazon society

generally viewed the male gender as inferior before Ranma arrived."

Akane couldn't help but smirk at that one, but she quickly

smothered it when she saw Pepper's expression harden. She nodded

for the restaurant owner to continue.

"Anyway, Ranma fought hard to gain respect from the others. He

was constantly picked on and beaten up several times. Through it all,

he never gave up on trying to fit in. Since our village prided itself on

strength, Ranma trained to become a warrior. He showed remarkable

talent in that field, and it wasn't long before he began to outperform

the rest of his generation. This proved to be quite detrimental to his

attempts to make friends since the others became jealous of his

ability. Fortunately, Jasmine was there to train in him in another art.

The art of healing."

"What's does that have to do with anything?" Akane asked.

Pepper chuckled a bit as she replied. "In many of the fights that

Ranma got into later on, after he had beaten up his opponents, he

would then use his healing skills to tend to their injuries." She

paused for a moment to break into a small laugh. "By doing this,

Ranma showed that he respected the others enough that they began

to return his kindness. He began making friends out of enemies."

Akane had to agree with that one. Ranma had become very

popular with the boys at school since he had tended to their injuries

after they had tried to battle Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume.

"This went especially well with the females of our tribe." Pepper

continued. "Ranma has a certain charm that they find very

attractive and since he shows great respect toward their gender, they

couldn't help but fall for him. He treated them as his equals, if not his

betters. As of now, just about every unwed girl in the village,

between the age of fifteen to twenty-five, is trying to land him as a

husband! And I can understand their attraction to him. He's tall,

handsome, a great warrior and healer, gentle, kind and shows respect

to those who deserve it."

"He's never shown any respect to me!" Akane retorted.

"That's only because you've never given him any reason to."

Pepper responded. "He may not think that your martial arts or social

manners are deserving the respect that you demand, but he still

respects you as a person. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have done all

those things such as save your life, heal your injuries and take extra

notes for you."

The youngest Tendo sister became silent at that. Pepper's words

made sense. In the past, she was proud of her skills as a martial artist

and she had to admit that she had been a little cocky about it. A little

bit, mind you. She was always saying that she was a martial artist to

anyone who would listen and she had felt a certain pride when

people would acknowledge it. Was that her problem? Was she too

wrapped up in just the title? Was she really that conceited? Then

something scary hit her. Images of herself became superimposed with

images of Kuno. In her mind, she saw him posturing and declaring to

all that none was better than he was. Then she remembered her own

comments about her being second to none. Was she just like Kuno?

Only wishing for others to acknowledge her superiority? She

shivered at that thought, then thought of something else.

Oh no! It's not true! I can't be like Kuno! I'm nothing like Kuno!

Pepper confirmed her fears as she said, "Ranma had told me that

you took great pride in your skills as a fighter, but he wasn't really

impressed. If there's one thing that Ranma dislikes, it's a person who

tries to force others to acknowledge that that he or she is better than

he is, simply by saying so. He had enough trouble with Mousse. I've

heard that he's had quite a bit of problems lately from some idiot

named Kuno." Pepper noticed that Akane had winced at the

comment. "Akane-san, is something wrong?"

"No!" Akane blurted out then calmed down. "It's nothing."

Pepper looked at the girl on the bed with a thoughtful expression,

before getting up and taking the tray of empty dishes. It was then

that she heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened revealing Kasumi and Nabiki.

"Kasumi! Nabiki!"

"Hi sis." Nabiki greeted as the two entered the room. Pepper

nodded to them and left the three sisters to be alone.

Akane's older siblings went over to her and sat down beside her

on the bed.

"So how are you feeling Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"A little better Kasumi, thanks. I don't feel any more pain."

"That's good. Ranma told us that you'd be well enough to come

home with us tonight. He's been very thoughtful and he's even

taking notes for you in class so you wouldn't miss anything."

"Yeah, Pepper told me about that."

"So Akane, how do you feel about him now?" Kasumi asked out

of the blue.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akane was surprised the Kasumi

would be this direct.

Kasumi wasted no time in getting her point across. "Ranma had

just saved your life and healed you. He didn't ask for anything in

return and even now he's making sure that you don't fall behind in

class. After the way you treated him since he came here, he's doing

all this for you. Don't you think that you should let go of this

hostility toward him? The least you can do is thank him. It's only

proper."

"Well I " Akane began.

Nabiki joined in. "Oh come on now Akane. It's not like he's going

to demand that you marry him or something. We've been talking with

Cologne and she assures us that Ranma wants nothing in return."

Remembering what Kasumi had told her, she added, "Besides, he's

got enough problems as it is."

"What do you mean?"

Nabiki looked at Kasumi and said. "Should we tell her? I mean "

Kasumi took on a thoughtful look. She had already been skating

on dangerously thin ice by telling Nabiki, but then again, she would

have figured it out eventually. However, after thinking about how

unfairly Ranma had been treated by her youngest sister, she just

couldn't stand the thought of him being subjected to Akane's rage.

With that in mind, she decided that it was time that Akane's eyes

were opened. Saying a silent prayer for Ranma to forgive her, she

said, "Ranma has a condition in which we had just recently

discovered."

"A condition?"

"Yeah." Nabiki nodded. "I was more than surprised when Kasumi

told me about it. She made me promise not to use this information to

exploit him, but after hearing his story, I don't think it would be right

for me to do that to him."

Nabiki was actually turning down a chance to make money? Just

what did Ranma have that was so important? Akane held her breath

and waited for Kasumi to give her the answer.

"I admire him for overcoming his disability."

"Oh yeah. I was impressed too." Nabiki admitted. "I never would

have guessed that Ranma was like that."

"Like what? What are you two talking about?" Akane was getting

bewildered.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't pick it up Akane." Nabiki said

with a slightly smug look. "You've been so busy trying to beat him,

that you didn't notice the clues."

"Will you please tell me just what you are talking about?" Akane

said in an exasperated voice.

"Akane Ranma is blind." Kasumi said in a quiet voice.

As soon as Akane heard this, her entire view on the world was

forever altered. She just couldn't believe what she had just been told.

No it can't be! He can't be blind! Nobody could be that good and

be blind! A blind boy can't have beaten Kuno all those times! And

that fight with that Ryoga person. It was then that she realized

something else. I was beaten by a BLIND BOY?! It it's

impossible!

Kasumi noted her sister's disbelief and confusion. "It's the truth

Akane. Ranma admitted it to me after I had deduced it. We spoke with

Cologne downstairs and she too had confirmed it. Ranma has been

blind for more than ten years now, and it was all the fault of that

friend of father's."

"It is?" Akane asked, still in shock over what she had been told

about Ranma.

Nabiki continued the explanation. "It seems that Daddy's panda

friend had not told us all the details." She then began to tell her

younger sibling on the trials and tribulations of Ranma's life.

Unfortunately for Kasumi, her revelation of Ranma's blindness to

Akane would have serious repercussions for the eldest Tendo sister.

Some time later, Akane made her way down the stairs when she

felt she was well enough to get out of bed. She was still in a bit of a

shock over what her sisters had told her about Ranma. She was still

dressed in the pajamas that were borrowed from one of the Amazons

and she was slightly annoyed that the chest was a little loose and the

hips were a bit tight. The figures of the warrior girls had every female

student in Furinkan jealous and the males panting. When she got to

the first floor, she saw Shampoo's great-grandmother sitting in a

booth, organizing some papers. The Amazon elder saw Akane appear

and gave her a warm smile.

"Good afternoon Miss Tendo. I see that you have recovered from

your ordeal."

"Thank you. " Akane said as she took a seat opposite to where

Cologne was sitting. "Please, call me Akane."

"All right. You may call me Cologne. I am Shampoo's great-

grandmother." She looked down at the bandages and noted their

condition. She then used her senses to assess her ki levels and

nodded. "Do you feel any pain Akane?"

"No. I feel great! I feel as good as new."

"Then you shall no longer be needing those bandages." With one

quick motion of her staff, she stabbed forward and removed all of the

wrappings in the blink of an eye. Akane was dumbfounded at the

speed in which she moved and wondered if she could learn a trick like

that. Cologne had removed all the wrappings without even taking off

her clothes. She then looked down at her leg and saw that the ugly

gash she had received in her fight was gone without even a trace of a

scar. All of her other injuries were also totally healed.

Cologne nodded as she assessed her body. "Ah, Ranma had done

an excellent job. His mother would be pleased. Though I would

advise you take it easy for the next day or so."

"Yeah I guess he wasn't bad." Akane admitted as she tried to

think up a way to ask the matriarch her next question. Finally, after a

long pause, she decided to ask her straight out. "Cologne-san, may I

ask you something about Ranma?"

"You may, though I have a feeling that I already know the

question."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while you were upstairs, I had a discussion about Ranma

with your sisters. It seems that they too had found out a few

unexpected things about him."

"Then it's true, isn't it?"

Cologne made eye contact with the Tendo girl for a long time

before finally answering. "Yes. Ranma is blind. I was there eight years

ago when Jasmine brought him to the village. The doctors that

visited our village every few months had confirmed that Ranma was

clinically sightless."

"But how is it possible? He doesn't act like he's blind at school

and I've seen him fight against Kuno, Ryoga and he even beat

me." Akane said the last part with great reluctance.

Cologne smirked a bit. "Ranma had taught us all that the world

doesn't end when it goes dark. He practices a martial art known as

the Unseen Light which allows him to 'see' in a way that is far better

than a normal sighted person would. He has also learned other skills

that have made him extremely formidable, both as a warrior and a

healer. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him."

"Unseen Light? I've heard him mention that before."

"It is an ancient fighting style that has been around for about

twenty-five hundred years now. I had been acquainted with Ranma's

former mentor in that discipline and he told me of its history. It was

created by a band of blind Zen monks, who had developed a way of

sensing not only the ki of others, but also objects as well. They had

also developed their senses to the point in which they could detect

things hidden beyond the surface of objects and even things of a

mystical nature. It was so secret that none of the techniques were

ever written down and were only passed down from master to

student. As of now, Ranma is the sole master of that nearly lost art."

"He is?"

"Yes. Ranma's sensei, Koga Shinura, had passed away a few

months ago, leaving Ranma as his only heir. His mother Jasmine has

raised him to be a fine, young man and many of the girls in our village

are quite taken with him."

"I see." Akane said as she thought about the hardships that

Ranma must have gone through to reach his current status. She

began to understand what Kasumi meant when she said that her

tendency to judge others by appearance would be insulting to

someone like Ranma. Then she realized that some of the other things

that she said about him were inappropriate and perhaps just

perhaps, she may have been wrong about him.

Akane put that last thought away as she sat up. "Thank you for

your time Cologne." She then headed upstairs to think.

At the end of the day, Ranma and the others returned from school,

just as the Tendo sisters were preparing to leave. Ranma stepped up

and handed Akane a cassette tape, telling her that it contained all the

notes that she needed to catch up in class.

Akane looked down at the cassette in her hands and then gave

Ranma a polite bow. "I would like to thank you for all you've done for

me Ranma Saotome."

Ranma's senses had picked up no hint of anger or the usual

hostility toward him in her aura. He was a bit surprised at the sudden

lack of resentment against him, but didn't question it. "You're

welcome."

"Ranma-san?"

"Yes?"

"Could we start over? I would really like it if we could forget

all that's happened and I would really like it if we can be at least be

friends?"

Ranma considered her words carefully before replying. "Maybe."

Akane gave him a questioning look before nodding. It wasn't a

definite answer, but it was a start. She would just have to work on

building on it.

The three Tendo sisters left Pepper's Place and headed back

toward the dojo.

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: Well, what can I say except that it still applies.

: Thoughts

" " Chinese thoughts

Chapter 8 Part 3

(Repercussions)

Akane was still thinking about what she had learned about Ranma

as she and her sister Nabiki were preparing for school. Taking the

advice of both Cologne and Dr. Tofu, she had taken a couple more

days off from school to recuperate from her ordeal. Fortunately, she

had asked a couple of her schoolmates to take notes for her so she

wouldn't be too far behind.

Her father had coddled and bawled over her since she came home.

He wouldn't give her a moment's peace, and Kasumi had to almost

resort to physically tying him down when Akane began resuming her

martial arts training. To her relief though, Soun and Genma had not

been pressuring Akane to go marry Ranma during her recovery.

On their way to school, Nabiki looked at her sister and saw her in

deep concentration.

She's probably thinking about Ranma. I don't blame her. I mean, I

didn't believe it myself when I found out he was blind. He had us all

fooled for a while. The question is what now?

Akane was indeed thinking about the Unseen Light martial artist.

Ranma is blind. I just can't believe that I can't beat someone who

can't see. How does he do it? Hmmm, that Unseen Light martial arts

must be really something if he could all that stuff he did. Maybe I

can learn it too. Akane smiled at the image of her being able to fire off

the Spirit Seeker. Well maybe if I'm nicer to him, I can get him to

teach me what he knows.

Akane nodded as she started to come up with some ideas. It was

then that she and Nabiki approached the school gates. There, in front

of a small crowd, was a familiar scene.

Ranma was once again dancing around Kuno's attacks as if they

were nothing. To him, they WERE nothing. Akane became fascinated

by how easily he evaded each of Kuno's efforts to hit him, despite

the fact that he couldn't see them. This observation also made her

think of something else. Her father had always taught her that it was

a martial artist's duty to defend the weak. Though Ranma was far

from the concept of being a weakling, attacking a blind opponent was

still considered dishonorable. Kuno also had a bad habit of attacking

from behind, though he still bragged that he followed the samurai

code.

Akane made a decision to help Ranma. Perhaps in doing so, he

might become more willing to share his secrets with her.

At the gate, Ranma evaded yet another series of blows from Kuno

with nary a care. On the sidelines, Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume

watched casually. They knew that Ranma was only toying with Kuno

for the fight to be lasting this long. Kuno was getting madder by the

instant with every miss. Occasionally, the blind boy would land a

blow on his opponent. They wouldn't be done with much force, only

enough to sting a little, but the way he would do it would be insulting

to wannabe samurai.

"Fiend! Stand still!" Kuno yelled as he tried a stab to the head.

WHAP! Kuno received a slap to the face.

"You dare mock me?!" Kuno tried a slash to the midsection.

Ranma flicked his finger to Kuno's nose.

"How dare you?!" One diagonal swing to the shoulder.

WHOMP! Ranma somehow got behind him and booted him in the

rear.

"Arrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!" The kendoist turned around and

charged at his foe.

Ranma ducked the swing, grabbed outstretched arm and flung

Kuno like a rag doll. The insane bokken user flew headfirst into the

font gate.

CLANG!

Kuno slumped to the pavement and began seeing stars.

Ranma shrugged as he turned his back and motioned for the other

Amazons to follow him to class. The crowds, thinking that the fight

was over, began to disperse. Just as Akane and Nabiki approached

Kuno's prone form, they heard him groan.

"Saotome I fight on!"

Using his rage to fuel his body, Kuno got up and charged at

Ranma while his back was turned. Akane, seeing this, acted and

rushed to intercept him. Not knowing about Ranma's sixth and

seventh senses, the youngest Tendo thought that there was no way

for a blind person could detect such a cowardly assault.

Ranma had already sensed Kuno's approach and was about to

reply with a reverse roundhouse kick, when he had to halt his

counterattack with Akane's interference. Stopping short in a half-

turn, his seventh sense picked up Akane as she came between him

and Kuno.

Kuno's face brightened as he caught sight of his love. "My sweet

Akane! How I've missed thee for the past two days! Though my

heart rejoices at the sight of your loveliness, I fear that I must stay

my passion for you until I have dispatched this fiend and free you

from your unholy engagement!"

"I told you before Kuno! I'm not interested!" Akane threw an

uppercut to Kuno chin and sent him up. When Kuno became a

distant dot in the sky, she turned around and faced with Ranma, who

happened to have an annoyed look on his face.

"I could have handled him. You didn't have to butt in."

"I was trying to help." Akane protested. "He was about to hit you

from behind."

"So what?"

"So what?!" Akane asked incredulously. "What do you mean?

There's no way you could have seen him coming. Not with your

handicap."

Ranma stiffened at the mention of the word handicap. The other

Amazons also became silent at this. When the crowds heard this,

they became very interested.

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked slowly.

It was then that Akane's mouth acted before she could think

about the consequences of her words. "Kasumi told me that you

were blind and I was only trying to keep Kuno from "

It was then that Ranma's world came tumbling down around him.

"Ranma's blind?!"

"No way!"

"Really?!"

"I can't believe it!"

"Man! If that doesn't take the cake!"

"Is it true?"

"If Kasumi said it, then it must be true."

"Kuno can't beat Saotome, even though he's blind?"

"He can't be blind!"

"Wow! He's kept us from it for this long!"

The words of the crowds, some of them were whispers, some were

shouts and others were just regular voices. All of them rang as loud

as sonic booms to Ranma's sensitive ears. He stood in absolute

shock as the crowds continued to murmur amongst themselves. He

began reaching out with his senses to detect the emotions of the

people around him. He could sense disbelief in many, but he then

began to feel something else from them. It at first started out from the

girls, then spread out to the boys. They began focusing on him and

the blind boy could feel it like a raging tidal wave. It was the one

emotion that he hated the most. The one emotion that he had to

strive all his life to avoid. It was the feelings of pity for him.

Ranma came home at around two o'clock and stomped his way

into Pepper's restaurant. At the moment, the owner of the

establishment was talking on the phone.

"Ranma! What are you doing here so early?" Cologne asked.

Ranma neither answered her question nor acknowledged her

presence as he went up to his room and slammed the door. He didn't

want to be talking to anyone at the moment.

Cologne was about to reprimand the boy for his blatant lack of

respect for an elder, when Pepper placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let

him be Cologne."

"What?"

Pepper took a deep breath and sighed as she replied. "I just got a

call from Furinkan. They know he's blind. They've suggested on

making arrangements for him. Things like getting textbooks in

Braille and such, perhaps even transferring him to another school

since Furinkan doesn't have many facilities for people with Ranma's

condition. "

At the mention of other arrangements, Cologne could understand

why Ranma was so upset. Cologne shook her head with sadness. She

knew that Ranma hated to be pitied or treated differently from anyone

else because he was visually challenged. That would be like

admitting to his disability. That was one of the main reasons why he

shunned Braille books and refused to carry a cane. The boy had

fought too long and hard to be reduced to this. He hated to be seen

as someone who is helpless. When Ranma had gained mastery over

the Unseen Light techniques, he had found great joy to able to fit

into a normal society without having others look down at him as

someone who cannot do the simple things that they take for granted.

Though the Joketsuzoku had nothing but the utmost respect for what

the blind boy had accomplished over the last eight years, Cologne

knew that the outside world would pity him and not believe in the

miracles that Ranma could accomplish. Ranma had every reason to be

proud at his successes, but the narrow-minded school board couldn't

see past Ranma's blindness. Cologne had honored Ranma's request

not to tell the school board about his condition so he wouldn't have

to reveal some of the secrets of the Unseen Light. Now, with his

blindness known, he may have to tell them about his abilities in order

to keep going to Furinkan.

In his room, Ranma angrily paced back and forth. His thoughts

were of anguish, rage and despair as he thought about it all. Damn it

all, this is what he wanted to avoid! He could feel the emotions of

sympathy and pity emanating from the people who passed him by. In

the girls it was even stronger as they already had developed a liking

to him. Learning that he was blind only strengthened their feelings

toward him as it made his sensitive side even more attractive.

However, Ranma wanted them to like him for who he was, not out of

pity. He had been hearing students' whisper of his inability to see.

Rumors on how he had been able to function were rampant and Kuno

was the worst of them all when he was told of it. The kendoist had

become an object of ridicule over his numerous defeats to a blind

person. As a result, he had been attacking Ranma repeatedly, saying

that he was some foul sorcerer that lived in darkness. The unseeing

martial artist didn't pull his punches as much during those attacks.

Damn it all! This all Akane's fault! If she had kept her big mouth

shut, then everything would have been fine! It was at that time that

Ranma thought about what she had said when she interfered. Even

though Akane's choice of words was the wrong thing to say, it

wasn't all her fault. No, there was another person who partly to

blame. With that in mind, Ranma leapt out his bedroom window and

headed for the Tendo dojo, oblivious to the danger of going there.

At the Tendo household, Kasumi was busy hanging up the wash.

She was silently humming a small tune as she finished up with one of

the many chores of running the household. Currently, her father and

Genma were involved with another one of their games of shogi in the

parlor. As she put up the last article of clothing to dry, her mind

began conjuring up images of Ranma. She sighed as she remembered

his gentle nature and amazing ability to overcome such a disability as

a lack of sight. She also blushed a bit when she recalled his comment

about her face matching the beauty of her soul. That was something

that she could never forget.

Despite all these happy thoughts, Kasumi did feel guilty about

telling her sisters about his blindness. Ranma had requested that she

keep that secret to herself, but she just couldn't stand the thought of

him being manipulated by Nabiki and abused by Akane's temper. She

just couldn't keep something that important to herself and had hoped

that they would be a bit more understanding toward him if they knew

of his disability. So far, it had worked and Kasumi had not heard an

unkind word about him from Akane, nor had Nabiki tried to profit off

him.

"You just couldn't keep it to yourself, now could you?"

Kasumi whirled around at the sound of Ranma's voice and saw

that he was leaning against the backyard wall.

"Oh! You startled me!" Kasumi had not heard him approach. She

smiled serenely at Ranma, but then noticed that his expression was

anything but friendly. In fact, it looked as if he was having great

difficulty in keeping his temper in check. "Is something the

matter?"

Ranma didn't answer her immediately as he slowly walked up to

her. When he came to about five feet from her he said, "It was a

simple request. I can't understand why you had to tell Akane about

it."

"What do you mean " Kasumi then realized what he meant. "Oh!

Then Akane told "

"Yes she did." Ranma said with a tight lip. "But the problem was

that the whole school was there when she blabbed it out."

"Then everyone knows ?" Kasumi's voice began to waver.

Ranma nodded. "Yes." Though his eyes weren't focusing on her

or anything at all, Kasumi felt as if those blue depths were burning

right through her. "It seems that I was wrong about you. I thought

that if there were anyone in the Tendo family that I could trust, it

would be you. Now I realize that I put too much faith in your abilities

to honor a simple request."

Kasumi couldn't believe that Ranma was becoming angry with her.

She just couldn't believe that this was the same gentle, sensitive and

caring individual who had told his life's story and had rescued

Akane. Then again, he did have a right to be annoyed with her.

"Please, try to understand." Kasumi pleaded. "I didn't mean to

reveal your secret but I thought "

"You thought what?" Ranma interrupted, a slight edge forming in

his tone.

"I thought that if Akane knew then she wouldn't be so quick to

judge you and she might treat you better. You don't no, no one

deserved to be subjected to that kind of abuse."

Ranma's expression softened a bit at Kasumi's well-meaning

motive, but then hardened as he said, "Maybe, but it was my choice

whether or not to accept her abuse. At least when she didn't know,

she treated me just the same as all the other boys. If there's one thing

I don't like, it's being treated differently because of the fact that I can't

see! She patronized me Tendo-san! She thought I was some helpless

dope who couldn't fight against a wimp like Kuno, despite the fact

that I could beat him in my sleep! You had no business in telling

Akane and I rather suspect that you told Nabiki as well! You may

have thought that it would be better if Akane knew. Well I'm sorry to

say, but it all backfired! I have become the one thing that I cannot

abide and now because of this, I may not be attending Furinkan for

much longer!"

"What do you mean?" Kasumi became fearful at that implication.

Ranma turned his back and then hopped up to the top of the wall.

He then paused. "I had thought that you and I could have

something."

"W-What?!" Kasumi was startled by this confession. Then again,

deep in her heart, she too had wanted to get closer to Ranma as well.

Ranma nodded as he continued. "I meant it when I said that your

face matches the beauty of your soul. You have something that is

very rare. I've only encountered it once before with my mother

Jasmine. In a way, you're a lot like her."

"I " Kasumi was close to tears at the sound of Ranma's voice. He

was opening up his heart to her and the closed part of her mind, the

part that kept her from expressing her own feelings, began to break

down.

"When you deduced that I was blind, you gained my respect.

Although I had no desire to fulfill the pact between the Saotomes and

the Tendos, it was after meeting you that I began to rethink about it."

Kasumi didn't know what to say. Ranma's words had rendered her

speechless.

"You truly are special Kasumi Tendo. Any man who has you for a

wife would be very lucky indeed. I had been thinking about being

that person."

The eldest girl's heart stopped at this. Was this it? Was he going

to say ?

"But a relationship is nothing without trust. I gave you mine, but

you betrayed it. I was considering the pact between our families, but

now I truly realize that all of Genma's promises are not worth it."

Kasumi could feel her heart shatter like fragile glass. Her breath

that she was holding came out as a gasp. She was stunned beyond

belief.

"Goodbye Miss Tendo." He then took a leap and was gone.

"Ranma! Wait!" The brown-haired girl started running toward him,

but before she reached the wall, the blind boy was long gone. She

stopped and stared up at the place where he disappeared. She fell to

her knees as his last words to her rang in her ears. But a relationship

is nothing without trust. I gave you mine but you betrayed it.

Unable to control her emotions, she began weeping in her hands.

It was then that Genma and Soun burst onto the scene after

hearing Ranma's name.

"Ranma? Where is he?" Genma said as he looked around for his

errant son. It was at that time he and Soun saw the eldest daughter

sobbing on her knees near the back wall and mumbling.

"Oh Ranma I'm so sorry!"

Some distance away, Ranma was in anguish as he leapt from

rooftop to rooftop. He had immediately regretted his words to the

Tendo girl. Of all the people that he didn't want to hurt, Kasumi was

very high on that list. Yet he could feel nothing but anger at her and

the problems she had inadvertently caused with her well-intentioned

motives. Now his fellow classmates saw him as some helpless person.

The school board had suggested Braille books and perhaps be

moved to a place for the blind, despite his abilities to compensate for

his handicap. He didn't want to be pitied, damn it! He wasn't

helpless! He wasn't

Ranma stopped on a rooftop and slumped down. Running about

all over town wasn't helping his current situation, though he couldn't

think of anything else to do. So he did what he always had done

when he was like this. He made his flute appear and began to play.

Sometime later, the Amazons were out looking for their missing

member after Cologne had discovered that Ranma was gone from his

room. After visiting the Tendo home and finding out that Ranma was

not there, the warrior females split up to search for him. It was about

six o'clock when Shampoo had found him.

The purple-haired girl had heard the sorrowful music of Ranma's

flute. Following the melody, she soon spotted her cousin sitting on

top of a roof of a restaurant. She noted that the customers of the

establishment were ignoring their meals, as they listened with great

interest to the haunting tunes that the blind boy played. Shampoo

then hopped up to the top of the roof and slowly approached her

distraught adopted relative.

"Ranma?"

The blind boy did not seem to hear her as he continued to play.

"Ranma?" Shampoo asked again but still didn't get any indication

of being heard. "Ranma, please stop. We need to talk."

Ranma paused for a moment, turned his head toward Shampoo

then went back to his playing.

Shampoo became mildly irritated that he was intentionally ignoring

her, then remembered what Pepper had told her about how Ranma

had been when he came home. Taking a deep breath, she addressed

her cousin once again. "All right Ranma. Keep playing. Shampoo will

do all the talking."

Ranma did just that.

"Ranma Shampoo knows that you don't like what happened at

school, but it already done. You can't change it. Makes no sense to

keep moping about it. The problem will not go away by itself."

Ranma stopped in his playing as he considered Shampoo's words.

Letting off a tired sigh, he silently nodded.

Shampoo continued. "Shampoo knows that you don't like pity. No

one in the village pities you. We all know you are just as good as

anyone else. Even better in many cases."

"Damn straight." Ranma agreed as a little of his pride returned.

"But " Shampoo added. "People at school don't KNOW you.

They've never seen a blind person do what you can do. They don't

know about the Unseen Light. So it's only natural that they feel

sorry for you. They can only see with their eyes. You once said that a

person should LOOK to the eyes and SEE with the heart and mind."

Ranma had to smirk at that remark as he remembered his bout with

Kuno when he demonstrated that point.

"When you became an even better warrior than Mousse, you

prove to all in the village that you are not helpless! You never gave

up! You kept on trying and trying! That is the true way of an

Amazon! Everyone in the village now think of you as an Amazon and

not as an outsider! It didn't matter that you were not born in the

village! It didn't matter that you were blind!"

Ranma began to feel a little better as Shampoo reminded him of all

he had accomplished in Nieuchiezu. It was true. No one contested his

rights as a member of the tribe. He had worked long and hard to gain

the respect of his fellow warriors and that of the Council of Elders.

However, he still asked his cousin as to what was the point of

reminding him of all this.

"The point is, the Ranma that Shampoo know of would never give

up, even now. You proved to all in the village that it makes no

difference that you are blind. You were just like Koga."

At the mention of his former mentor, Ranma was reminded of the

trials that the blind master had also endured before he was accepted

in the Joketsuzoku as someone to be reckoned with.

Shampoo noted Ranma's introspection. "Yes, Koga had to prove

to my great-grandmother that the Unseen Light was just as good as

Amazon Wu Shu. He also had to prove to the others as well. When

he trained you, he succeeded. Now, it's time that you proved that you

don't need anyone's pity. You're just as good as anyone else. If they

cannot see that, then they're more blind than you are."

Ranma shook his head while smiling. He had to admit that

Shampoo was right. He didn't help matters by moping about and

feeling sorry for himself. If he had conformed to the limits of the

school board's perceived notions of blindness, then all the training

that he had undergone would have been for nothing. He had already

proven himself in the village. Now it was time for the rest of the world

to open its eyes.

Ranma put away his flute and reached out with a hand. He

fingertips lightly caressed the purple-haired girl's face. Shampoo

closed her eyes and reveled in his touch. She had always enjoyed the

way his fingers caressed her skin. So strong, yet so gentle and

sensitive. A true reflection of the person she cared about and hoped

to be something more than just a cousin.

Ranma withdrew his hand and said with a lopsided grin. "You

haven't changed in appearance Shampoo, yet you have just shown

me a wisdom that is beyond your years. You do Cologne proud."

Shampoo smiled as she said, "Shampoo had to have learned

something from hanging around Great-grandmother all this time." She

gave off a small laugh in which Ranma joined in.

It was around ten o'clock when the two returned to Pepper's Place.

After assuring the others that everything was going to be all right,

Ranma was taken aside by Cologne.

"Ranma, I have some news for you that may cheer you up."

"What is it Cologne?"

"I received a phone call while you were gone. It seems that we may

be able to find your blood-mother soon."

"Really?"

"Yes. I have just gotten a message from that detective that I told

you about. Ryo Saeba is currently busy on another case, but he says

that he will be able to get in touch with us in a week or so."

"Hey, that's great!"

"I have some more news. It seems that Jasmine and a few others

will be coming here next week for a visit."

"Mom? She's coming here?" Ranma's mood became better at

hearing this.

Cologne nodded. "Yes. She'll be arriving with Honey, Silk and

Satin. She's very anxious to see you again."

Ranma smiled as he recalled the other Amazons. Honey, Silk and

Satin were all older than he was, at least five or six years his senior.

They were among the unmarried women of the tribe over the age of

twenty-one. Though his mother preferred that he married someone

closer to his age, that didn't stop older girls from flirting with him. The

blind martial artist blushed a bit at those thoughts. Still, with his

adopted mother coming to visit and a chance of finding his real

mother, Ranma was in good spirits.

Meanwhile, in the Amazon village, a small group of women were

discussing their upcoming trip to Japan in Jasmine's house.

"Oh, I can't wait to see Ranma again. I've missed him so much."

Jasmine said as she poured Honey another cup of tea.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing Japan." The voluptuous

blonde smirked as she crossed her legs.

"Oh, admit it Honey. You just want to see that handsome boy of

Jasmine's. Just like the rest of us." Silk was a shapely brunette with

green eyes.

"And why shouldn't she be?" Asked the magenta-haired

beauty named Satin. "He may be a bit young, but they don't make

males any better than him. Jasmine, you have raised a fine boy."

"Thank you." Ranma's mother frowned a bit as she looked at

the three women. They were all very aggressive when it came to

competing for males. The three of them were stunning and had

figures that models would kill for. Honey was the bouncy and very

vibrant blonde, who was also a healer. Her chest was very ample

and many of her patients, most of which were males would frequently

drop by her hut for healing sessions, some of which were not at all

physical. Satin and Silk were the village seamstresses. They were

identical sisters with only their hair colors being different. They didn't

have quite as much er, upper-body strength as Honey, but their

long legs and shapely curves (especially around the hips and

derrieres) were often the cause of several cases of eyestrain and

whiplash. That and the fact they liked to wear revealing clothes. With

so many of the village men panting after them, one would think that

they wouldn't have any interest in a teenager. However, when they

had set their eyes on Jasmine's son, they had made it into a sort of

game to see who would be able to snare his heart. Also, it wasn't

unusual for an Amazon female to take a younger husband.

Ranma had encountered the three women at one time or another

and had politely turned down their overtures toward him. However,

his natural shyness, innocence and gentle nature was so endearing

and attractive to them, that they continued to pursue him. That was

another reason why Ranma had left the village. Despite living in a

village that was female dominant, he was still very inexperienced in

dealing with his amorous suitors.

Jasmine decided to put away her thoughts about her companions

for a while as she contemplated her reunion with her adopted child.

According to the letters that Ranma wrote to her, it seemed that

Genma was stirring up trouble again and this time he was determined

that the blind boy carry out one of his crazy schemes. This time, the

insane panda-man wanted Ranma to marry up with one of the

daughters of the Tendo clan and he even got the father of that family

involved. Her son had already stated that he would never marry a

Tendo, in which Jasmine wholeheartedly agreed.

Not if I can help it! Jasmine thought as her memories and

disgust for that Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist came back to her. The

vows and promises that Genma had made had caused nothing but

trouble for Ranma and the village as well. Ranma would marry a girl

that he loved and not because of some half-baked oath of his father's.

Jasmine wanted nothing more than her son's happiness and she

wasn't going to let that panda screw up his life even more. He had

done enough damage.

Jasmine smothered her angry expression as she looked out toward

the setting sun. In a week's time, she and Ranma would be together

again and then she would deal with Genma.

Fighting Blind

The infamous Rumiko Takahashi created all Ranma and the gang.

There, I said it.

: Thoughts

Chapter 9

Taking the First Steps

Ranma Saotome took in a deep breath as he and his sister

Amazons exited Pepper's Place and headed toward Furinkan High.

Lilac, Shampoo and Perfume all gave their best warrior smiles of

reassurance. Though Ranma could not see the smiles, he could feel

their emotions behind the gestures all the same. Despite the ugly

events that had transpired in the last couple of days, the disciple of

Koga was more than willing to pick up the pieces and move forward

in his life. He knew that the next few days were going to be hard, but

that was to be expected.

At the Tendo dojo, two others were preparing to leave for class.

Nabiki was in a speculative mood as she considered what do in case

she met up with the blind martial artist from China, which was very

likely. Akane of course, had no idea just how much she had hurt

Ranma with her unintentional revelation of his condition. She and her

sister were concerned for Kasumi though. For some unexplained

reason, the eldest daughter of the clan had become despondent for

the last day or so. Neither her father nor her sisters could get her to

explain why she was feeling so depressed. She would still do her

household duties with same efficiency as always, but the serenity

and cheerfulness that she had displayed before was subdued and

made her look like a faint shell of her former self.

Akane was pretty much in the dark as to why her sibling was like

this, but Nabiki had a suspicion that it had something to do with

Ranma. She knew that Akane's unthinking actions from the day

before had not been one of her better plans, She was aware of how

jealous she was of his superior abilities, despite the fact that he

was visually challenged. In fact, after that scene, Ranma had been

all but ignoring her, which didn't set very well with her. Despite the

fact that he had saved her life, Akane had begun to fall back into her

old habits and considered his indifference to her to be an insult.

Just what were you thinking Akane? Trying to get him to teach

you his secrets? I'll admit that I'm curious at what he does, but that

was the wrong way of doing it. He certainly didn't need your help in

dealing with Kuno. Heck, he could probably handle him in his sleep!

You really should have known better! Question now is, what's

Ranma going to do?

Nabiki tabled these thoughts for later as she and her sister

approached the school.

As Ranma and the Amazons got the main gate, the Unseen Light

fighter began extending his senses to the crowds around them. As he

had expected, there were various impressions of curiosity, some

jealousy, fear in few and some cases, outright dislike. He felt the

greatest emotions of pity coming from the female students as his

group walked by. His enhanced hearing also picked up the hushed

whispers as the students gossiped among themselves. All of these

feelings were directed at him of course, and the blind martial artist

took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst.

The worst came to him in the form of a pompous jackass who

carried a bokken. Kuno immediately spotted his nemesis and his three

Amazon flowers and started to strut toward them. He came to a stop

in front of Ranma's group and blocked their path to the school

building.

Ranma frowned as he motioned for the girls to wait as he stepped

forward. "What do you want Kuno?"

"You will address me as upperclassman, foul sorcerer that lives in

darkness." The insane kendoist said as he held out his weapon. "I am

here to at last free my three Amazon beauties from your disgusting

presence so that they could finally shower their hidden love for a true

warrior and a real man. Their passions are not for the likes of you,

since you are not even a full man, sightless one."

Ranma's brow furrowed a bit as he crossed his arms and replied,

"And since when is the lack of one's sight a measure of one's

manhood? You know what? I'm really glad I'm blind right now, since

I'm spared the sight of seeing your stupid face."

"Do not try to mock your better Saotome, lest I rightly smite you

for your insolence! And do not think that your dark sorcery will save

you this time!"

"My better?" Ranma snorted. "What kind of crazy world are you

living in? I've been knocking the stuffing out of you ever since I got

here. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than a nuisance

and no challenge whatsoever. And what the heck is this dark sorcery

that you're talking about?"

"Only black magic could explain how a mighty warrior such as I

could fall to a blind and pathetic peasant such as yourself! Enough! I

shall not tolerate any more of this mockery, dark one! Release my

Amazon flowers!"

Kuno struck forward with his bokken, but Ranma was already

countering his attack. The sixth sense had warned him and his

seventh sense tracked the path of the wooden blade. In less than a

heartbeat, Ranma was already within his defense and Kuno found

himself being slammed backward as he was struck in the chest by an

open-palm strike. He lost his grip on his bokken as the air was forced

out of his chest. Kuno landed on his posterior. When the maddened

Tatewaki looked up, he saw that Ranma was twirling his bokken

casually in one hand.

"Fiend! Sightless demon! You dare to once again employ your

black magic upon me?!"

Ranma's mouth tightened into a straight line. "There you go again.

Making excuses for your inferior skills. The only thing that you are

doing is showing your stupidity and ignorance. Then again, I guess

name-calling is the only weapon you have against me, since you're

too WEAK to challenge me any other way."

Shampoo nodded as she said, "Ranma is right. You are too stupid

to see that you are no match for him. Even a BLIND MAN could see that."

"Amazons will date strong man, not weakling like stupid stick

boy!" Lilac added.

"Ranma is one thousand times more man than stick boy." Perfume

said.

Ranma shrugged as he said, "I guess it's unanimous. You are

weak, Kuno."

"Weak?!" Kuno got up and brought out another bokken from

within his robes and charged at him again. "I SHALL HAVE YOUR HEAD

FOR THAT INSULT! NOW TASTE THE "

WHAM! SMACK! WHAP! WHAP!

"Come on. Let's get to class." Ranma motioned for the others to

follow. On the ground behind them, Kuno was lying down on the

pavement, obviously unconscious and a broken bokken over his

head, along with several large bumps. In less than a second, Ranma

had given the kendoist a taste of what it was like to be on the

receiving end of his own weapon.

Later on that morning, Ranma was called to the front office to

discuss his condition with the vice-principal and some of the higher

members of the school staff. Cologne was also called to the meeting,

as she was the one who filled out Ranma's registration forms.

"Ranma Saotome. It has come to our attention that you did not

inform us of your condition before you enrolled here, specifically you

being clinically blind." Mr. Shinoka, the vice-principal who was

acting in the absence of Principal Kuno, looked at the student and

the aged woman standing before the conference table. The other

teachers and counselors nodded as well. "I would think that a detail

as important as that would be reported on your registration forms."

Cologne stepped forward as hopping on a cane would make a bad

impression. "Excuse me, but I would like to speak to you about that."

"And you are?"

"I am Elder Cologne of the Joketsuzoku. I am one of Ranma's

guardians and it was I who filled out the registration forms on his

behalf. As per his request, I did not report on Ranma's condition

since he felt that it was of no consequence and would not, in any

way, hinder his performance at this school."

"I cannot understand why you would do such a thing. A handicap

as serious as blindness would make attending this school at best

difficult. I'm afraid that Ranma will have to be transferred over to a

school for the blind as Furinkan is not equipped to facilitate the

needs of a sightless student."

"With all due respect and no intended insult to you or the other

members of the staff, but for someone who can still see, you have

become blind to the events of the past weeks. Ranma has performed

quite well in his schoolwork and I have seen his grades. Despite his

inability to see as you do, he has so far completed all of his

assignments and had achieved high marks."

"Is this true?" Shinoka turned to one of his staff, who handed him

Ranma's files and current grade averages. He flipped through the

folder and noted that Ranma had been getting B's and A's on all of

his assignments as well as scoring an average of 95% on his first

exams. He looked up at Ranma and said, "How can this be? If he's

blind, then he shouldn't be able to read the textbook, much less write

down his answers."

Ranma shrugged as he said, "I have been trained in a martial art

that has given me certain abilities, which more than compensates

for my lack of eyesight."

"Oh? What kind of abilities?"

"Well " Ranma thought about how to go about demonstrating

his skills without having to reveal too much of the Unseen Light's

secrets. "I can read books and other printed material by using my

fingertips. I'm pretty fast in terms of reading speed."

"Really?"

"Write something down and let Ranma read it to you." Cologne

suggested.

Mr. Shinoka reached over to one side for a pen and a small

notebook. He quickly scribbled something on the first page, ripped it

out and showed the page to the other teachers before leaning over

the table to hand it to Cologne.

Cologne took the message and then, instead of handing it to

Ranma, she deftly tossed the piece of paper into the air in front of him

and to his right.

Ranma's seventh sense caught the falling sheet as it drifted down.

With a sure and precise movement, his right arm shot out and he

neatly caught the paper between his index and middle fingers. He

brought it up to the level of his chest and ran the index finger of his

left hand over the page. The movement was no more than a casual

brush and it looked like he barely touched the paper at all.

"It says I don't believe you." Ranma replied as he flicked his right

wrist and sent the page sailing back to the table. The sheet did a

couple of flips before landing softly in front of Mr. Shinoka and

ironically, it had settled down on top of the same notepad that he had

used to write the message.

"Uhhh correct, Saotome."

"It landed on the same notepad, didn't it?"

"Uhhh yes it did." The teachers had become a bit uneasy at

how casually Ranma was after displaying his skills. The blind boy

clasped his hands behind his back and turned away from them. He

started to walk toward the door, then stopped before it, his back still

to the vice-principal and his staff. Suddenly, Cologne threw a few

objects at Ranma's unguarded back.

With a smooth motion, Ranma pivoted on one foot, turned back

toward the teachers and swung his right arm back and forth. His arm

moved at a speed that made it appear to be a blur and the objects that

Cologne had thrown disappeared before they could reach him. Ranma

then held up an arm and displayed a fist. Wedged between the

clenched fingers and thumb, was four small, but very sharp, metallic

throwing daggers. Each was held in place by the flat of its blade and

not a single drop of blood had been spilled.

The staff was more than amazed at the display.

"H-H-How did y-you do that?"

"Incredible!"

"Amazing!"

"Impressive!"

Ranma smiled as he carefully handed Cologne back her throwing

weapons. "I have an ability not only to detect people, but also

objects. I can sense my entire environment around me in all

directions, and it is very useful in judging distances. For example, I

know that I happen to be exactly two meters, seventy-five

centimeters from where you are sitting, Mr. Shinoka. Can your

eyesight judge distances that accurately?"

Shinoka and the others could only shake their heads.

Cologne continued to speak, "I'm sure that you have already

witnessed Ranma in battle. It is virtually impossible to sneak up on

Ranma, as I believe that a student named Kuno has already

discovered. With this ability, Ranma doesn't stumble about or require

to be led by someone else. He may not be able to read distant signs,

but he doesn't bump into anyone or anything either."

Ranma and Cologne gave the staff and the vice-principal a few

more demonstrations of the Unseen Light fighter's techniques. After

giving them a remarkable show, Cologne decided to summarize what

they had just been shown. "As you can plainly see, Ranma's abilities

are more than adequate to allow him to continue with his academic

studies here at Furinkan. When you all thought that he had his sight,

Ranma performance was exceptional, don't you think? Just because

you now know the truth, it does not mean that Ranma is to be

treatedany differently. If he has done so well, then I say let him

continue to do so. Please pardon the pun, but I do not SEE why he is

to be prevented from attending Furinkan when it is obvious to all that

it makes no difference whether he has sight or not."

Shinoka had to reluctantly nod his head at that statement. "You

pose a strong argument. I must admit, even I was impressed with

Saotome's skills. Although, I am still uneasy with letting a blind

student attend Furinkan. The very fact that everyone in the school

knows about it may cause difficulties among the students. "

"By what I've heard, there have been several difficulties at this

school before Ranma had arrived." Cologne countered.

Shinoka had to nod to that. With the daily fights to date Akane

and the idiocy of the principal's son, Furinkan had to become looser

with its rules on conduct.

"I'll make deal with you." Cologne said, pausing to choose her

words with care. "Let Ranma continue to attend class as he always

has. Give him time to prove himself. If his grades have declined

significantly or the students do not accept him, in say two weeks,

then we shall honor your request to have Ranma transferred to a

school for the blind. Mind you, the student who has been constantly

annoying him and his sister Amazons does not count. Ranma does

have a right to defend himself and protect the honor of my great-

granddaughter and her friends. To put it mildly, this Tatewaki Kuno

doesn't seem to be in his right mind."

To say that Kuno was a few bricks shy of a load was an

understatement. Shinoka slowly nodded and said, "Very well, that

seems fair enough. If Ranma can keep his grades up and can fit in

here at Furinkan, then we will not press for him to be transferred."

Cologne turned to Ranma and said, "Do you agree to this?"

Ranma nodded and said, "I shall live up to your expectations

Elder Cologne, and thank you."

Cologne smiled as she felt the confidence in Ranma rising.

In the next few days, Ranma strove to prove himself

English class

"Ranma Saotome, would you please read the second passage on

page three hundred and forty-four in this text?"

Ranma's English teacher, Mr. Konoda, handed him a book that was

titled Shakespeare's Works: Braille Edition. Ranma held up the book

and seemed to consider it for a moment, before handing it back to the

teacher without opening it. He then reached over and brought out the

regular textbook, turned to correct page and then brushed his

fingertips once across the page before reciting. "To be, or not to be.

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer, the

slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Or to take arms against a

sea of troubles. And by opposing, end them."

Mr. Konoda stared at Ranma for a long while, then turned to the

same page of his own textbook. His eyes widened as he read the

passage, which was exactly what Ranma had just recited, in perfect

English as well. He did a couple of double takes before saying,

"Very good, Saotome."

This was not lost on the other students as they too had expected

Ranma to read from the Braille book. There was some whispering

among the teens and Ranma's exceptional hearing picked up several

of the conversations. One of the most frequent comments was 'are

you sure he's blind?'

Math class

"Is there no one who can answer the question on the board?" Ms.

Sakara asked.

Just about everyone was dumbfounded by the tough algebraic

problem on the board. Not one raised their hand. That is, except for

the one.

"I know the answer." Ranma said as he raised his arm.

"Mr. Saotome?" The teacher was quite surprised. She had just

written that question straight out of the textbook without saying a

word. If Ranma were blind, he wouldn't be able to see it, especially

when he was sitting near the back of the class. So how would he

know the answer when he didn't hear the question? The teacher

decided to humor him and said, "Very well. Would you please step

up and show us on the board?" She walked forward and then offered

her hand to him so that he may be led to the front of the class.

Ranma nodded, but did not take her hand. Instead, he placed both

hands on his desk and used it to spring forward. He made a neat

forward flip over the heads of his classmates and landed perfectly in

front of the chalkboard. Without pausing, he took up the chalk and

then scribbled out his work below the question. One minute later, he

placed the chalk down and casually walked back to his desk without

tripping or stumbling once as he maneuvered down the rows of

desks. He smiled at his teacher as he sat down.

The math teacher looked up at his work then flipped through to

the back of her text for the answer. Ranma had come up with the

correct formula and answer.

"Correct Saotome."

Ranma silently thanked his old master Koga for teaching him

about mental imagery and how to fine-tune his seventh sense. By

focusing on the chalkboard, Ranma could make out the impressions

the chalk had made when the teacher had written out the question,

without having to brush his fingers across it. It also helped that Ms.

Sakara wrote in large letters and numbers.

Gym class

Swish!

The opposing team just couldn't believe this guy. He had already

made twelve consecutive baskets from beyond the three-point line. It

also didn't help their side as Ranma continued to steal the ball away

from their players, despite their attempts to get by him.

Swish!

The opposing team members all groaned as Ranma made another

three-pointer. So far, the blind boy had scored fifty points. Ten

points were made from fancy slam-dunks, one was an assist and the

rest were heaved from the other side of the court! Every one of

Ranma's shots was dead-on, and his team soon realized that all they

had to do was feed him the ball. By the end of the game, Ranma's

team had won

75 to 0.

Other sports proved to be child's play to the blind Amazon. Dodge

ball was nothing to Ranma as his sixth and seventh sense kept him

from getting hit. Volleyball was dangerous to the other students

when playing against Ranma. His power serves and spikes sent the

ball shooting toward them as if they were fired from a cannon. In

baseball, Ranma was never struck out, no matter what kind of throw

the pitcher would try. Fast balls, curve balls, slow balls and others

were all struck and sent over the wall. Ranma also proved to be a

good catcher and outfielder. In archery class, the students were very

nervous at seeing a blind boy with a bow, but when they saw Ranma

hit a bullseye each time and even shoot an apple off Shampoo's head,

they soon began to think that the rumors of Ranma being blind were

false.

The girls of Furinkan High had become even more interested in

Ranma as time went on. He continued to amaze them with every new

challenge, especially during gym class. It also helped that he had a

well-muscled body that made many females experience a rise in

hormones. The way the sweat glistened off those firm muscles as he

gracefully moved through intricate gymnastic routines. The power he

displayed whenever he lifted heavy weights. The way his ponytail

waved in breeze as he outstripped his nearest opponent in the one

hundred, two hundred, and four hundred-meter dash. Jasmine's

upbringing of the Unseen Light fighter was paying off with interest

as nearly all the girls in the school developed an attraction to the

handsome, unseeing martial artist. Ranma's sensitive side was quite

charming and he didn't act like those other jerks that pursued Akane

and followed Kuno's rules. They absolutely loved his music and

many would ask him to play for them. Slowly but surely, Ranma

began to win some people over.

However, not everyone at Furinkan was as open-minded. Some

boys were quite jealous at how Ranma could outperform them and

tried to pick fights with him. Others lashed out due to prejudice over

his blindness and his Chinese background. Kuno was the worst of

them all as he continually assaulted Ranma at every opportunity,

much to no avail as his skills were still well below the level of his

blind opponent.

There was also another who had come to dislike Ranma all over

again. Akane had been trying to get close to him, but the blind boy

had purposely been ignoring her. Though the youngest Tendo did

realize that her slip had made him mad, she just didn't understand

why he would still hold a grudge against her. With him constantly

giving her the cold shoulder, it wasn't long before she started

thinking that he was an insensitive jerk.

A couple of days after Akane had blurted out Ranma's secret

Akane came home in a bit of a huff as she slammed the door.

Nabiki looked up from where she was sitting and saw her sister as

she came into the living room.

"That jerk! He's nothing but a insensitive, arrogant jerk!"

"I take it you're talking about Ranma, right?"

"Of course I am!" Akane exploded. "Here I am, trying to be nice to

him, and what does he do? He tells me to get lost or just ignores me! I

don't understand what those other girls see in him."

Nabiki shrugged as she said, "Oh I don't know. Could it be that

he's handsome, tall, built, is a great musician and is the one guy in

school who doesn't go chasing after you? Or is it because he treats

the other girls better than you?"

"What THAT supposed to mean?" Akane glared at her sibling.

"Well, you tell me Akane. I mean, I can't think of any reason why

he would be angry with you. Oh yes, that's right. I believe that it was

you who interfered with his fight with Kuno that day and blabbed out

that he was blind."

Akane stiffened at the memory, then said, "So? What's that got to

do with it? I mean, it's not like he could keep something like that a

secret for long. That's still no reason for him to be acting like a jerk!"

Nabiki shook her head as she retorted. "No reason? Akane, you

just don't get it do you? Ranma DIDN'T want anyone to know about

it. I think it's because he didn't want anyone's pity. He just wants to

be treated the same as everyone else, but because you didn't think

about your actions, he's going to be always treated differently. Now a

lot of the boys at school are treating him like an outcast and Ranma

has to prove to himself to everyone. That wouldn't have happened if

you had kept quiet about it."

"You're making it sound like it's all my fault."

"Well maybe because a big part of it is!" Nabiki said with a bit of

sarcasm. "I mean, you had no reason to tell anyone else that Ranma

was blind. Especially after all he did for you. He saved you from that

gang, nursed you back to health and didn't ask for one thing in

return. And then you repaid him by blurting out his secret. Oh yeah,

that was really good of you Akane."

Akane's eyes furrowed as she glare at her sister, then turned

around and stomped up to her room.

Nabiki shook her head at her sister's insensitivity. The little

princess just couldn't take the truth, even when it was shoved into

her face. Akane just didn't understand that Ranma was very sensitive

about his handicap and had taken it personally when she had

interfered with his fight with Kuno and blurted out his condition.

Nabiki however, was far more observant and had noticed how Ranma

reacted whenever someone pitied him and thought he was helpless. It

was clear to her that Ranma despised being pitied and she could

admire how someone could overcome such a disability and even fool

her for so long.

Ranma was unique, and Nabiki liked that in a guy. He was good-

looking. He didn't bow down to her violent maniac of a sister. He was

sensitive, but also displayed a strong will. He was confident in his

abilities, but not arrogant and showed respect toward girls. He was

very intelligent and displayed several amazing skills that could prove

to be very profitable. All in all, he was a good catch. Although she

was called the Ice Queen, the middle daughter had started to realize

that money was a very poor substitute for companionship. Before

that stupid declaration of Kuno's, she had gotten a few date

prospects. Afterwards, she had been forced to spend her weekends

alone. Despite everything that had been said about her, she was

human and didn't want to spend the rest of her life alone.

Kasumi and Akane had blown their chances with Ranma. Nabiki

then decided that it was her turn up to bat. There was a bit of a

problem though. After Kasumi and Akane's mistakes, not to mention

her father's attempts to kidnap him, Ranma had become very

distrustful of the Tendo clan in general. He had even been avoiding

her, even though he had nothing against her personally. Nabiki

decided that gaining Ranma's trust would be the first obstacle to

overcome.

In the kitchen, Kasumi was busy preparing the evening meal. On

the outside, there seemed to be nothing wrong with her. On the

inside however, her heart was heavy with guilt as she recalled the last

time she had spoken with Ranma. I gave you my trust and you

betrayed it! That one phrase had repeated itself over and over in her

mind. She now knew that telling Akane about Ranma's blindness had

been a horrible mistake. She had thought that if Akane knew of his

blindness, she would be more understanding toward him, but her

good intentions had backfired. She should have realized that Akane

would have not been able to keep it to herself and now, Ranma hated

her and her sister for it.

Well perhaps he doesn't hate me for it, but he does have the right

to be upset about it. Kasumi let off a sad sigh as she remembered

the first time she met up with him. He seemed so warm and friendly

when they sat in that coffee shop. She remembered how gentle his

touch was when he used his fingers to probe her face. She felt totally

at ease when she was with him. She still blushed when she thought

about the comment he made about how her face matched the beauty

of her soul. With her full-time commitment to caring for her family, the

blind boy had allowed her to feel emotions that had been bottled up

inside of her since her mother died. Ranma made her feel truly special

that day.

She also remembered how horrified she was when she learned of

the Neko Ken training and how his father had sold him like a piece of

property. She had gotten very cold toward Genma since then. She

always served him last at dinnertime and gave him smaller portions.

She had also mentioned the names of certain other families in casual

conversation and noted the nervousness in the fat martial artist. She

just couldn't believe that her father was associated with such a

greedy man. Then she recalled to just how obsessive Soun was,

especially with the pledge to unite the families.

Ranma's angry words had stung her to the quick and Kasumi knew

that she had to make amends. Ranma's trust in her had been a very

special gift and she had lost it. The time had come for her to try and

regain that gift. And with that renewed gift, it may even become

something more. It wasn't hard for Kasumi to imagine her and Ranma

sharing something else besides each other's trust.

Meanwhile, Lilac and Shampoo were walking back to Pepper's

restaurant after making a delivery. As the sun began to set, they

talked quietly about the past few days.

"Ranma is making good progress at school, yes?"

Shampoo shrugged as she said, "Well, the teachers are starting to

accept that he doesn't need any special stuff or anything. The other

students are going to take more time though. He told me that what he

really needs to do is something big to prove that he's just as good as

everyone else. They would either pity him, hate him or are scared of

him because of what he can do. At least the boys are. The girls are

having no problems." Both girls chuckled a bit. The same kind of

stuff happened to him in the village.

Lilac was about to comment about that when they both heard a

commotion coming from a nearby empty lot. They both decided to

investigate.

In the lot, four girls wearing gym shorts and T-shirts were facing

off against one girl in a brown uniform. many of them were sporting

bruises and bandages. The young lady had her black hair tied up in

sideways ponytail and was sneering at her four would-be assailants.

"Well now. Have you all come to forfeit the upcoming gymnastics

meet? I would think that would be the wisest choice since you are no

match for me!"

"Don't hand us that!" One of the other girls said while holding up

a pair of gymnastics clubs. Her cohorts were also armed with similar

implements such as ribbons, hoops and whatnot.

"Yeah! We know it was you who attacked us last night! You're

trying to stop us from entering the tournament!"

"You think you can just take us out before the contest so you

would win by default!"

"Let's get her!"

The four girls charged at the haughty girl, but were suddenly

yelping in pain as they were disarmed in an instant. A streak of pink

flashed across their wrists, causing them to wince in pain and drop to

their knees. They continued to scream as they were whipped again

and again by what appeared to be a long ribbon. The holder of that

ribbon, the haughty girl, handled the seemingly fragile device like it

was a bullwhip.

"My, my, such rudeness! How fortunate it is for you that I was

raised up properly. Why I weren't a lady, I wouldn't be as gentle. How

fortunate you are that I'm "

GRAB!

The girl stopped in her tirade as her ribbon was suddenly held

taught by someone who had come in between her and the other girls.

The interloper appeared to be about her age and had red hair tied in a

long braid that went down her back and had a gold ribbon at the end.

She frowned at the girl and said in a low voice, "You caught my

ribbon. No one has ever done that before."

Lilac returned the frown as she said, "You already made point.

Make no sense to keep on beating up when they down." She looked

over to where the girls were sprawled and watched as Shampoo

tended to their wounds. She then turned back to their tormentor and

then gave a firm jerk on the ribbon.

The haughty girl held fast to her end, but was very surprised

Lilac's audacity. "So, you think to interfere with my affairs?" She then

suddenly released her grip, made a couple of clubs appear from out of

nowhere and threw them at the Amazon.

Lilac was not caught off guard. After frequently sparring with

Ranma, who also knew of Hidden Weapon techniques, she simply

released her hold on the ribbon, made her tonfa appear and deflected

both clubs back at her foe. She followed through with a somersault

toward her opponent, lashing out with a sidekick.

The black-haired girl ducked the clubs the kick, then backflipped a

couple of meters. She then smiled as she made a black rose appear.

She nonchalantly tossed her head and said, "Well done. You are

certainly more of a challenge then those weaklings over there." She

then placed the rose's stem in her mouth and pulled out another

ribbon from the front of her blouse. "I'm Kodachi, the Black Rose.

You will remember that won't you?" She then began twirling her

ribbon about her and a huge storm of black rose petals appeared

around her. She then leapt into the air and bounded away while

saying, "We'll meet again! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

Later that evening in Pepper's Place, Ranma had finished mending

the injuries of the four girls after Lilac and Shampoo had brought

them for healing. As he applied special herbs and wrapped their

wounds in bandages, the girls started telling Ranma and the

Amazons about their problems with Kodachi, the Black Rose.

"Huh? Women's Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics?" Ranma said

with confusion.

"That new one to Lilac."

"Is it some kind of fighting tournament?" Shampoo asked.

One of the injured girls, a cute one with short brown hair, nodded

as she said, "The entire gymnastics team got attacked last night and

now we're in no shape for the tournament! Furinkan was supposed to

go up against St. Hebereke next week!"

"Also known as St. Baccus!" A black-haired girl with a ponytail

said.

"That still no explain who girl was that Lilac fight today."

"That was Kodachi." A girl with long brown hair replied. "She's

the captain of the St. Hebereke gymnastics team. She's also called the

Black Rose. Her team has never lost because all the other teams had

to forfeit before the tournament. We know that Kodachi secretly

attacks her rivals and forces them out of the running. Now Furinkan

has no one to compete in next week's contest!"

"Well, I'm really sorry to hear that." Ranma said as he completed

wrapping up the last injury. "I wish there was something we can to

do to help."

The four girls looked at each other, then at Lilac, Shampoo and

Perfume. They nodded to each other and the girl with the short

brown hair said, "Maybe there is. We've seen you Amazons in action

and you're really good with gymnastics and martial arts."

"You want Amazons to fight in contest?" Perfume asked.

Ranma was a bit nervous as to where this was going. "Gee, I don't

know "

"I think it's a splendid idea." Cologne said as she and Pepper

entered the room.

"You do?" Ranma asked as he and the others turned to look at the

matriarch. "But they don't know anything about this Martial Arts

Gymnastics thing. None of us do."

"Oh I'm certain that you'll be able to train my great-granddaughter

and the others in time for the tournament."

"Me?" Ranma pointed to himself as his eyebrows raised in

surprise.

Cologne smiled warmly as she said, "Yes. As I recall, you happen

to be the best acrobat in the village, and the girls would be most

comfortable training with you."

"Aiya! Is right!"

"Ranma teach us, yes?"

"Ranma will help! We all help!"

The four injured girls of the gymnastics team cheered as one of

them said, "Then it's settled! We'll get you a copy of the rules

tomorrow! Oh thank you! Thank you!"

Later on, Cologne found Ranma sitting on the roof deep in

thought. She quietly sat down beside him.

"I'm not sure if this is such a good idea Elder."

"Please Ranma. I told you that you can call me Cologne."

"Sorry Elder I mean, Cologne. Well, anyway, are you sure about

all this?"

"Yes. I can't think of a better way to show the school that you are

just are good as anyone else by training the girls in this contest. You

did say that you needed something special to prove yourself to the

school. A team that was trained by a blind martial artist would count,

wouldn't it?"

"So that's why you volunteered me to train Shampoo and the

others." Ranma became silent for a moment then said, "I've never

formally trained anyone. I'm not really sure if I'm up to it. Suppose we

lose and "

"You will not lose." Cologne stated firmly. "Like Koga, I too had

detected the great potential in you, not only as a student but also as

a teacher. You will do fine. I have great faith in you."

Ranma couldn't help but smile at the compliment. Having the faith

of an Elder was a rare thing, and even rarer for a male amazon. Ranma

nodded as he silently vowed to make Cologne proud.

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: I guess I should disclaim this, right?

: Thoughts

Chapter 10

Lilacs and Black Roses

Part 1

"What?! What do you mean that we can't use the lot?"

"Is true, Ranma. Man come yesterday and put up sign. He say that

new building going to be there." Lilac said as she and her sister

Amazons ate their lunches with Ranma.

"No have place for gymnastics training. No have anywhere else to

go." Perfume added.

"Oh great. This is just perfect." Ranma gave a depressed sigh as

he began considering his options. He had planned to use the empty

lot behind Pepper's restaurant to help prepare the three girls for the

upcoming gymnastics meet with St. Hebereke, but now their usual

sparring area was closed off. He had considered the Furinkan High

gymnasium, but decided against it, since it was just too open and

well known to Kodachi's spies. He had been hearing rumors of

opposing gymnastic groups being attacked by St. Hebereke before

the match, forcing them to forfeit. Based on what Furinkan's team had

told them about the underhanded tactics of this so-called Black Rose,

Ranma had planned to train the girls in secret, so they could have a

bit of an edge against their opponents. He had decided that the time

had come to begin Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume's training in the

Unseen Light. Since no one knew about their usual sparring area, and

with Cologne and Pepper keeping an eye on things, he thought it

would be safe. However, with no place to teach Koga's secret

techniques

"Now what do we do?" Shampoo asked.

Ranma thought for a few minutes before he shook his head. "For

now, I'm not sure. We'll discuss it after school, okay?"

News about the Amazons competing on behalf of the Furinkan

team spread like wildfire throughout the school. Just about every

male student had begun daydreaming about seeing those curvaceous

female warriors in skimpy leotards. Dozens of boys developed

nosebleeds as their imaginations went far beyond anything decent.

The worst among them was of course Kuno, as he went rambling off

on his fantasies about his Amazon beauties in all their gymnastic

glory as they showered his person with loving devotion and passion.

Meanwhile, Nabiki was at the moment shadowing Ranma as he

went through the school day. Through her spies, she had gotten

wind of him being the coach of the new gymnastics team. A totally

blind, yet very formidable martial artist training a group of gymnasts

was very unusual and this only made Nabiki ever more determined to

learn more about him. She saw this as more than just a financial

opportunity, though she was sure she could get top yen for any

pictures of the Amazons in their leotards. Kuno would certainly shell

out enough money to put the dojo in the black for a month for those

photos. This was also a chance to try and get close to the unseeing,

but very handsome and interesting male of that strange culture.

Nabiki hid in the shadows as she silently tailed Ranma. As he left

the school grounds at the end of the day, she maintained a distance

of about sixty yards and tried to keep out of sight. Though Ranma

was blind, Nabiki had a strong suspicion that he could detect her

presence whenever she got too close to him. The way he defeated

Kuno every time, even when he charged from behind, only

strengthened this suspicion.

The middle Tendo girl looked around the corner and was very

confused to see that Ranma had disappeared. She began looking

around for any sign of him, but could find nothing. It was then that

she was tapped on the shoulder.

"Yaaaaaaahhhh!" Nabiki whirled about with a hand over her heart.

She was breathing quite rapidly as she saw Ranma standing behind

her. The Unseen Light martial artist had made no sound whatsoever

when he snuck up on her and Nabiki felt as if she was on the verge of

a heart attack.

"Miss Tendo, you and your spies have been tailing me and my

sister Amazons ever since we got here, and I'm beginning to find it

very annoying." Ranma stood with his arms crossed and with a stern

expression.

"Y-you knew I was following you?" Nabiki gasped as she tried to

regain her composure. The fact that a blind boy had gotten the drop

on her was very unsettling.

"From day one." Ranma affirmed with a forceful tone. "Just

because I'm blind, doesn't mean that I don't know what's going on

around me. Now, why don't we skip the pleasantries and get right to

the point? What do you want?"

Nabiki calmed down and considered the boy before her. It was

obvious that he wasn't some dumb jock that she could manipulate

like Kuno or the other boys at school. He seemed to convey a sense

of awareness that went beyond the physical realm and he had already

displayed keen instincts. Furthermore, Ranma had already proven

that he was someone not to be taken lightly. After seeing what he did

to Kuno, Akane and Ryoga, the last thing Nabiki wanted to do was

get on his bad side.

The middle daughter took a deep breath. "I was just curious about

you, that's all. I mean, it's not every day that a blind person can do all

the things that you've done so far. Now the word is that you're

training those Amazons to compete against St. Hebereke's

gymnastics team next week."

"Yeah, so what business is it of yours?"

Nabiki gave Ranma a slight nod as she replied. "Well, it's very

obvious that you need someplace to train the girls, since the place

where you usually spar with them has now been closed to you. I

know all about the empty lot near Pepper's place. Since the team

hasn't practiced in the gym, I'm going to assume that you intend to

teach those girls a few secret techniques. Am I right?"

Ranma became a bit uneasy. Apparently, this Nabiki was more

perceptive than normal and had known about their training area. He

kept up his face of indifference and said, "Go on."

Nabiki smirked a bit as she said, "Well, considering Kodachi

Kuno's habit of taking out the competition before the matches, I can

understand why you would want to train those girls in secret. The

gym at school is just too open. And I'm willing to bet that whatever

tricks you teach them will have something to do with those Unseen

Light martial arts of yours. I can understand you wanting to keep that

a secret too. However, that still leaves you a problem of getting a

secure place for Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume to train."

"And I suppose you have the perfect spot?" Ranma's voice

dripped with a bit of sarcasm.

Nabiki nodded. "The Tendo Dojo."

Ranma was silent for a long while, then responded to Nabiki's

suggestion. "If this is your idea of a joke, then let me tell you, it's not

funny."

The middle daughter had expected Ranma's reluctance. "This isn't

a joke. I'm offering you and the girls the use of our dojo for a week.

No strings attached."

"And why would you want to do that?" Ranma became really

suspicious.

Nabiki made a show of being hurt, though it was pretty much

wasted on the blind martial artist. "And why wouldn't I be? As I

recall, you did save my sister and I think that letting you use the dojo

would be a good way to pay you back. In any case, the Amazons are

helping out our school by going against St. Hebereke. It's my

scholastic duty to help out any way I can. Besides, if your team wins

the tournament this Saturday, then this will most certainly boost your

standing at Furinkan."

"And what do you get out of all this?"

"Why do you assume that I may have an ulterior motive in helping

you?" Nabiki would have put on her best 'hurt' look, but that only

worked if the person could see it. She tried to sound really hurt

though.

Ranma frowned as he replied. "I don't know. Perhaps it's because

your sisters have already caused me some considerable pain? Or is it

the fact that your father is set on trying to get me to fulfill that stupid

pledge? Maybe it's because my goddamned father is there?" That

last statement positively dripped with venom. "Now why would I do

something as stupid as go there? If I went there, your father and that

bastard of a panda would try to make sure that I never left. The

Tendo family has been nothing but trouble. Thanks, but no thanks.

We'll find another place."

Ranma turned to leave, but Nabiki put a hand on his shoulder.

"Please, wait!" When Ranma paused, Nabiki knew that she had to

think quickly. This was a prime opportunity and she had only

seconds before it slipped away. "Look, I know that you don't really

like my family and I can understand that. For all that they've done to

you, you have every right to be angry. But that doesn't mean that

we're ALL bad. I haven't done anything to you, now have I? My

sisters and my father have made really big mistakes. Kasumi

shouldn't have told Akane about your blindness and Akane

shouldn't have blabbed it out to everyone at school. Daddy shouldn't

have tried to kidnap you. But I'm not like them, and I think you

should get to know me better before you decide on putting me in with

the other members of my family. At least give me a chance to prove

that I really want to help you." Nabiki lowered her head a bit and her

cheeks reddened a bit. "And besides, I would like to get to know you

better."

Ranma used his senses to probe the aura of the girl. He was very

impressed at the control Nabiki had over her innermost emotions. She

hid them well. However, Ranma could detect something on the very

edge of her aura. It was very faint and he almost missed it. It was

sincerity. He could tell that it was genuine as it conflicted with the

impressions of avarice and cunning that Nabiki also displayed. There

was no doubt in his mind that Nabiki was planning something, but

she was definitely willing to help him out.

She isn't lying, but she's also holding back a lot of things. Aw,

who am I kidding? Going to the Tendo Dojo would be like throwing

myself into that pit of cats again. Ranma shivered at the memory,

then turned and started to walk away. Without turning to face her, he

said in a quiet voice, "Nabiki Tendo, I thank you for your generous

offer, but I must refuse it. Good day to you."

Nabiki watched as the blind boy walked off. As he got further into

the distance she called out to him. "The offer still stands if you

change your mind." When Ranma was out of sight, she started to

walk home. She became very occupied with her thoughts as she

headed toward the Tendo dojo. At first, when she had offered the

use of the dojo, she had been thinking of getting photos of him and

the girls to sell to Kuno and the other students. It was also a chance

to learn more about Ranma's abilities. However, when she heard the

sadness and bitterness in his voice, she couldn't help but feel for him.

The blind boy had a certain something that made anyone near him

feel whatever emotion he was feeling. Then all of a sudden, she

found herself defending herself against that accusation that the

entire Tendo family was trouble. Which was quite ironic, considering

her background. Yet, when she was with Ranma, she felt an

overwhelming urge to get close to him. She could feel nothing but

sadness over what he had endured since becoming sightless at the

hands of his father. She could sense the strength and determination

within him, yet she could also feel the sensitive and very vulnerable

side of him as well, which only made him even more attractive.

Nabiki sighed as she approached her home. She hadn't felt this

emotionally drained ever since her mother had died. That was when

she had cloaked herself in a veil of the Ice Queen and started her

mercenary ways. Yet, something about Ranma seemed to make the

idea of using him for financial gain as ugly and repugnant. She had

thought that he would be just a golden opportunity to make a

fortune, yet the more she was with him, the less she thought about

money. She began to realize just what Kasumi had been feeling when

she had made her promise not to hurt Ranma. The idea of hurting him

also unsettled Nabiki as she thought about it more.

Suggesting the Tendo dojo had been an idea for Nabiki to get a

few snapshots and learn more information about Ranma. Now, she

wasn't so sure anymore. Making money didn't seem as important as

making a friend in Ranma. She had always been a very lonely person,

and found the idea of getting close to Ranma very appealing.

Meanwhile at St. Hebereke's gym

"All right girls. That's enough for today." Kodachi Kuno stood in

a blue leotard with her hands on her hips, as she addressed the

members of the gymnastics team.

Many of the girls were sighing in relief as they began picking up

equipment and got ready to head for the showers. The group

considered their leader as a slave driver and wondered why they

should be practicing at all. In the past, they always won by default,

as Kodachi would ambush their opponents and rendered them unable

to compete. This year wasn't going to be any different. Already, their

leader was conversing with one of her spies who had just handed her

the address of Pepper's Place and the names of the new substitute

members of Furinkan High's gymnastics team. She gave off a short

laugh as she saw Lilac's name on the paper. She opened a locker,

which was stocked with various medieval-looking instruments,

selected a large metal mallet, and then wrapped herself in a dark cloak.

Giving her lieutenants a sharp salute, she leapt into the night to carry

out her dastardly deed.

Ten minutes later

At Pepper's Place, Ranma was just speaking with Cologne and

Pepper about what to do about the lack of a training ground. When

he mentioned about Nabiki's offer to use the Tendo Dojo, the two

women flatly turned the idea down. However, with so few places that

were secluded enough, Ranma didn't really have any idea as to where

he could teach Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume the secrets of the Unseen

Light.

At the moment, all three girls were preparing for bed. Each had

retired to her room and was in the business of settling down for the

night. Outside the building, a shadow was darting about and making

its way toward the three unsuspecting girls.

Downstairs, Ranma was continuing his conversation with the elder

and the restaurant's owner when he suddenly stopped talking and

cocked his head to one side.

"What is it, Ranma?"

"Someone's here. I sense danger." Ranma quickly got to his

feet and took out his battle staff, extending it to its five-foot length.

Cologne and Pepper knew that Ranma was never wrong when it

came to sensing danger. They quickly got to their feet and waited in

ready stances. Then suddenly

CRASH! WHAM! BAM!

"Aiyaaaaaaaaaaaa! You again?!"

"Die!"

"You no wants to get Amazon womans mad!"

Recognizing Lilac's voice, Ranma quickly bounded up the stairs,

followed closely by Cologne and Pepper.

Just before they reached the door to Lilac's room, they heard

another series of crashes, followed by a huge boom as it sounded like

glass breaking. As they entered the room in ready stances, they saw

a broken window. Apparently, the intruder had been launched

through the window, courtesy of an uppercut from the angry

Amazon.

Ranma wondered just what was going on, when his sensitive

hearing caught the sounds of a fight that was taking place some

distance away. He decided to investigate and leapt through the

opening. He then began heading toward the sounds of battle. Just

after he left, Shampoo and Perfume came into the room.

Meanwhile, on the rooftops several blocks away, Kodachi was

having a running battle with Lilac. The Black Rose hadn't counted on

meeting such formidable resistance. She had thought she could just

sneak into Pepper's Place, and quietly eliminate her competition.

However, Lilac had proven to be no pushover and had demonstrated

just how powerful she was by belting Kodachi out the window. The

insane gymnast was currently rubbing her sore jaw and had several

cuts on her body as she dodged and countered each of Lilac's tonfa

strikes.

The two made several passes at each other as they tried to beat

each other's brains out. They then leapt away from each other and

faced off at about fifteen feet from each other.

"Well now, it seems you DO have some skill. I hope you'll do even

better when see each other at the tournament." Kodachi sneered as

she took out her ribbon.

Lilac became really annoyed at this girl's attitude and replied with

scorn. "Hmpf! You nothing but coward and cheater! Lilac no believe

stupid flower girl try to attack her when she sleep!"

"Cheat? Moi?" Kodachi said with mock sincerity. "Why I would

do such a thing? I believe in fighting fair, before the contest of

course. I was just seeing if you were a worthy enough opponent,

that's all."

"You want fight? No problem with Lilac!" The Amazon began

powering up her battle aura.

Kodachi smirked as she began twirling her ribbon around her,

causing a whirlwind and rose petals to appear. Lilac was forced to fall

back as she held up her tonfa in defense.

"Another time, China girl. We'll meet again and next time; I will not

be as lenient! OH HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!"

With this she bounded off into the distance. By the time Lilac

raised up her head, Kodachi was already gone.

It was at that time that Ranma had begun bounding toward the

area. He had no doubts that his sister Amazon could take care of

herself and had decided on a different route, in hopes of intercepting

whoever had attacked Lilac. His senses were scanning the area and

had locked onto the spiritual trail of the assailant. It was then that his

sensitive hearing caught the sounds of insane laughter.

Kodachi was deep in thought as she fled from the area. Hmmm.

That little witch may be more formidable than I thought. No matter! I

shall vanquish her as easily as all the others. No one can ever hope

to stand against the Black Rose! She let off another one of her

ludicrous laughs as she closed her eyes and imagined herself

standing over Lilac's beaten and bloodied body.

Ranma felt a shiver down his spine when the heard that laughter.

He felt a chill run through his body as he vaulted over the next roof.

With the sounds echoing off the walls of some of the more towering

structures, plus the fact that his senses had now just detected

Kodachi's warped aura and psychotic tendencies, Ranma was a bit

put off by the sensations. So it was understandable that he was

distracted and almost didn't notice that his sixth sense was giving

him an alert that he was about to run into someone. He managed to

swerve to the side, just as Kodachi was abruptly pulled from her

daydream by the sudden movement.

The Black Rose yelped as she twisted to avoid a collision.

However, she tripped over a loose roof tile and went tumbling down

toward the street. Her head hit the surface of the roof as she fell,

causing her to become dazed.

Without a second thought, Ranma dove after her and let his

seventh sense track her descent. Catching her in his arms, he made a

neat flip and then vaulted back up toward the roof. He landed without

a sound and then considered the person he held in his arms. A

moment later, he heard Kodachi begin to regain her senses.

The gymnast looked up and focused her eyes upon the face of her

savior. When her vision cleared, she let off a small gasp as she

beheld probably the most handsome man she had ever seen. Then

again, considering that she went to an all-girls school, she didn't see

very many men.

What a man!

Ranma stiffened as he began detecting the all-too familiar

emotions being directed at him. From his long experiences in the

Amazon village, he knew that this meant trouble. In addition, he also

began sensing a madness that seemed to reflect a tortured past as

well as loneliness. When the girl looped her arms around him and

said in a trembling voice to hold her, Ranma's danger senses went

from yellow alert to full red.

A few rooftops away, Lilac had been joined with Shampoo and

Perfume. They had informed the red-haired beauty that their fellow

Amazon warrior had gone in search of whoever had attacked her.

Now the three girls were out searching for their blind friend.

Meanwhile, Ranma had just set Kodachi on her feet and took a few

steps back with his battle staff held in one hand in a casual, yet ready

manner. At the moment, he was trying very hard to get out of this

awkward situation when it was apparent that Kodachi was beginning

to form an attachment to him.

"Uhhhh well, now that you're okay, I guess I should be going."

Ranma said this a hurried voice as he began taking a few more steps

back. Unfortunately, Kodachi started moving forward.

"Please, tell me you're name!"

"Uh, Ranma Saotome. Well in any case, I better get going and "

"Oh no, kind sir! I must properly thank the strong and brave man

who saved me!" It was a good thing that Ranma was blind, otherwise

the hungry look that Kodachi was giving him would have scared him

out of his wits. So brave! So handsome! Oh to think that I thought

I'd never get a man! I guess an all-girls school was the wrong place to

look. And now that I've found him

Ranma became even more agitated by the second as he continued

to back away. The emotions that Kodachi were emitting were making

him very uncomfortable. Despite living in a culture that was female-

dominated, he was still pretty shy when it came to dealing with the

opposite gender. With his enhanced senses and empathic nature, he

could feel Kodachi's amorous intentions with all the subtlety of a

terrorist bombing.

"Look, I really don't think that's necessary and besides, we just

met." Ranma halted when he sensed that he was at the edge of the

roof. Ranma gulped as he trained his senses on her once more. It was

then that he noticed something else as he struggled to compose

himself. He started to feel the psychic impressions that he had

detected back in Lilac's room when she had been attacked. It was

then that he realized that he had just saved the person who had

ambushed his sister Amazon.

"Hold on, you're "

It was then that Kodachi made a bouquet of flowers appear and

shoved them toward Ranma's face. "Please take these as a token of

my gratitude!"

"Huh? What are you " Ranma's sixth sense went off as his

superior sense of smell caught the whiff of some strange chemicals.

His reflexes took over as he swung his staff and knocked the bouquet

out of Kodachi's hands and up into the air. When the flowers landed

on an adjacent roof, they exploded and let off a cloud of noxious

gases.

anma was fully on guard as he went into a battle stance, held up

his staff and angrily said, "Okay, now what was that for?!"

Kodachi was about to reply in a sweet voice that the paralysis

powder in the flowers was only to prevent him from running away,

when she caught sight of three Amazons heading their way. She

smirked and then blew him a kiss. "We shall meet again dearest

Ranma, and continue getting acquainted. OH HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!"

Ranma shivered again when he heard that laugh as the Black Rose

leapt away and vanished into the night.

Something tells me that my life just took a really bad turn

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: I know that I have a disclaimer somewhere around here. Let me

see... nope, not here... Here? No... how about here? Oh well, I guess

you're going to have to take my word for it.

* *: Thoughts

" ": Chinese Language

Chapter 10

Part 2

Battle Lines are Drawn

"I'm afraid that we have no option, Elder. I certainly can't train the

girls here. It's too open and I don't think that Kodachi person is going to

give up attacking us." The blind martial artist gestured to the upstairs as

they sat down for a cup of tea.

Cologne reluctantly nodded. Last night's attack had only been a skirmish,

but Pepper could not afford to continually repair her establishment. As of

now, Lilac was sharing Shampoo's room as hers was boarded up for repairs

and clean up. Before belting the crazed gymnast out the window, the two had

caused quite a bit of damage to the room. Furthermore, their opponent in

the upcoming gymnastics competition seemed to be very determined to knock

her rivals out of the running and Ranma already sensed her unwanted amorous

designs on him.

The Amazons had been trying to find a place so that they could train in

peace, but that proved to be very difficult. The school gym was deemed

unsuitable as the male students had constantly pestered the girls whenever

they showed up in their leotards. The female half of Furinkan's student

population was no better, having seen Ranma's muscular form in a

tight-fitting T-shirt and shorts. Other places that they had tried were

some recreation centers and empty lots, but they too were unsuitable and

too open to defend against attack. Kodachi would have too easy a time of

getting at the girls and him!

That by itself made him shudder. To have her continually show up at their

doorstep gave him a serious case of the willies. No, they needed a place

that was suited for combat and was easier to defend against sneak attacks.

Which meant...

"I'll be contacting Nabiki Tendo at the end of school today to... accept

her offer."

Cologne's eyes narrowed as she said, "I do not like this."

"You think I like it?" Ranma sighed as he stood up to prepare for school.

"But what else can we do? We have only four days left before we face off

against St. Hebereke on Saturday. I must begin training Shampoo and the

others immediately in the techniques of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.

We need someplace where Kodachi won't be able to interrupt in their

training. The Tendo Dojo seems to be our only option."

Cologne shook her head sadly as she replied, "Though I cannot argue with

your logic, I still do not like the idea of you going to where that fool

father and his equally stupid friend is. Therefore, to prevent them from

getting any ideas about forcing you to carry out that idiotic pledge of

theirs, I shall be accompanying you and the girls." She held up a hand and

said, "Do not worry about Pepper and her business. She has assured to me

that she will not need any of us for the week to help in running the

restaurant. I shall keep an eye on you to make certain that Genma and Soun

don't try any funny stuff."

Ranma nodded. "I was kind of hoping that you'd say that. I really don't

need any more headaches right now."

Unknown to him, a new headache was now just entering the outskirts of

Nerima. The individual was wearing a long, flowing robe of white and very

thick-lensed glasses.

Later that morning...

"So you're accepting my offer?" Nabiki said with a bit of smugness. She and

Ranma were standing near the front of the school. Lilac, Shampoo and

Perfume were standing nearby as they watched the two discuss the plans to

use the dojo.

Ranma frowned a bit as he sensed the emotions of avarice in the girl before

him. However, he simply swallowed his pride. "Yes Miss Tendo. It seems that

circumstances that are beyond anyone's control has... persuaded me to

reconsider your generous offer."

Nabiki didn't like the expression he was giving her, but that was to be

expected. He wasn't like the simple dupes she had encountered in all of her

other business transactions. She would have to be very careful not to blow

such a golden opportunity. With him at the dojo, Nabiki could now get much

needed information about him and numerous opportunities for profit would be

available. Taking photos of those Amazons in skimpy leotards would also

equal a sizable amount of income. She was looking forward to the challenge.

"All right then. You and the girls can come to the dojo after school and

we'll discuss the arrangements."

Ranma nodded slowly as he turned to rejoin his sister Amazons. He didn't

like this arrangement and he knew that whatever price Nabiki would ask of

him, he may not be willing to pay it. He would have to be on his guard. He

then suddenly stopped as his sixth sense went off.

The three girls were immediately on alert when they saw Ranma tense up. It

was then that they heard a voice.

"LILAC OF THE AMAZONS! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Lilac brought out her tonfa in an instant and blocked the blow of Kodachi's

bokken as she dived in from out of nowhere. The two faced each other off,

catching the attention of the crowds. The students looked on with interest

as the two rivals glared at one another.

"So now what? Stupid crazy girl no can wait until tournament to get beaten

up?"

Kodachi gave her opponent a look of disdain as she replied, "As if a

harridan peasant such as you could even think that she would stand a chance

against the Black Rose of St. Hebereke!"

"Bad enough you attack Lilac in dead of night! Now you try to cheat by

attacking in day!"

"Attack? Moi? Don't be silly! I'm only here to visit my darling Ranma."

Kodachi gave a swing at Lilac's head, but the red-haired Amazon simply

blocked the blow with one of her tonfa and then knocked the wooden sword

out of the gymnast's hands with the other. She followed through with a

sidekick, but Kodachi did a fancy backflip and then landed next to Ranma.

The look she gave him was one of adoration.

"Ranma dearest, shall pick up where we left off?"

Ranma frowned. His senses were already probing her aura and he didn't like

what he found. Kodachi had obviously fixated on him and was under the

impression that he was going to return her advances. He also detected a

form of mental trauma that had been building up over the years. A

psychological instability was apparent and there was just no way the Unseen

Light fighter could circumvent her misguided feelings toward him. No, he

was always direct and it would be best for everyone if he were to head off

this unwanted affection and obsession before it got out of hand. Better to

hurt her now and get it over with, than to have her follow some sick,

demented fantasy. Tact would not work with this kind of individual. He

would have to be blunt.

"No."

"No?" Kodachi said with surprise. She had been expecting her gallant

rescuer from last night to sweep her off her feet in a blaze of passion.

"No. We are not going to pick up anything, since there was nothing to start

with. I don't know where you got this idea that we have something, but it's

going to stop right here and now. I am NOT interested." Without another

word, Ranma turned around and walked away. For the most part, Ranma hated

to hurt people's feelings, but this had to be done.

Kodachi was in a bit of a shock at Ranma's blatant refusal, but she was

soon in denial, thinking that she may have not heard him right. After all,

who could turn down the rising and beautiful star of the gymnastics world?

"Ranma darling, wait!" She began running after him.

Lilac and her friends growled as they saw their hated rival chase after the

object of THEIR affections and prepared to do some serious bodily injuries

to her.

It was then that Kuno walked toward them, his mind oblivious to the events

that were occurring as he fantasized the image of his three Amazon flowers

in their leotards, leaping about gracefully as they bestowed their hidden

love for him. In his hands were three bouquets. He was jolted back to

reality as saw the obstacle to gaining his fierce warrior women walking

toward him.

"Saotome..." Kuno growled as he prepared to unsheathe his bokken.

Ranma stopped and gave a tired sigh. "So what's you're problem Kuno?" He

then stiffened slightly as he felt Kodachi lovingly leaned against his back

and snuggled closely.

"Ranma..." Kodachi gave a happy sigh as she pressed her cheek against his

muscled back.

Ranma bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kami-sama, please

tell me that this isn't happening."

Kuno on the other hand, looked over the two with a serious tone. Then after

a moment, he nodded while pulling out a small victory fan. "Very well, you

may date with her."

Ranma's head snapped up. "Say what?!"

Kaodachi became ecstatic. "Ranma dear! We are now officially a couple!"

This did not set well with Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume as they charged in

and pulled Ranma out of Kodachi's grasp. They put themselves between Ranma

and the Black Rose while holding up their weapons.

"How dare you come between a woman and her one true love!?" Kodachi said as

she brought out her ribbon and took a stance.

"Stop stupid talking!" Shampoo replied.

"Ranma no belong to you!" Lilac affirmed.

"You want Ranma? You go through Amazons first!" Perfume added.

Ranma was getting quite put off at how the situation was beginning to

degenerate. "Girls, please... I can speak for myself."

Of course, no one was exactly listening at the moment.

"No worry Ranma! We take care of stupid, crazy girl!"

By now, Kodachi was smiling evilly as she saw their devotion toward her

intended. "Well, I can see what's happening now. You want him for yourself.

How very interesting!" She then whipped her ribbon forward. The three girls

leapt back to avoid it. The Black Rose then twirled her ribbon casually to

one side. "So how about it? The winner of the tournament gets Ranma

Saotome."

"What?!" Ranma couldn't believe that he was being offered up like some kind

of prize.

"What are you talking about?"

"Is you crazy?"

"Ranma is no prize!"

Kuno was quick to pick up on this as he rushed to their sides and put his

arms around their shoulders. "But my loves! It is perfect! You need only

lose and the accursed Ranma shall be gone from your lives for good! Then we

can..."

WHAM X3!

Kuno was sprawled on the ground facefirst with three huge lumps on his

head. Kodachi took no notice of this as she said, "There will be no need

for the three of you to hold back. The beating that I will give to each of

you will be more than enough." She then twirled her ribbon about her,

causing a gale wind to be stirred up, along with a storm of black rose

petals as she addressed Ranma. "Ranma my darling... by Saturday, you will

be all mine. OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOHOHOHO!" She then bounded off into the

distance, her insane laughter still echoing.

Ranma shook his head in disbelief. Now they HAD to win the tournament.

Kuno at this time staggered to his feet as he looked in the direction where

Kodachi had left. "Ah, a pity that with every noble family tree, there will

always be a seed of discord that will threatened to fell the mighty roots

and cause the leaves to wither." He then addressed the Amazons. "You would

do best to take care as you face off against Kodachi. My sister is quite

insane and will resort to any means to get what she wants. I love her

well."

"Your sister?!" Ranma eeped.

"Indeed." Kuno affirmed while turning towards the girls of the Amazons.

"Take care my Amazon flowers, lest my sibling cause you undue misfortune

with her wicked ways. Unlike myself, she has not a foothold in reality."

*Yeah, right Kuno! Like you could claim to have any sense either! Damn!

When did my life become so complicated?*

Before long, the gossip had spread across the student population. Many of

the boys and girls were still talking about it as they left the school at

the end of the day. As a result, a certain somebody had overheard the match

between Kodachi and one group of Amazons, which included a lavender-haired

girl that was the main reason behind his obsession.

Later that day...

Ranma was feeling really depressed as he and the girls prepared to leave

the restaurant and head to the Tendo residence to begin their training. He

had not been talking to Shampoo and the others and his silence had been

making them nervous. Finally, as they were about to go though the front

door, Shampoo spoke up to him.

"Ranma, we are really, really sorry about what happened today. We..."

The stern frown she got from her cousin made her become silent. She then

decided not to press her luck as she followed Lilac and Perfume out the

door.

Ranma stood still for a few minutes before stepping forward. He then

stopped as he sensed Cologne hopping on her staff and then placing one of

her hands on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't blame them for what happened. What's done is done. They

were only trying to protect you."

Ranma took a deep breath, then sighed while nodding. "I know, but I just

didn't like to be put out like some kind of prize. I could have handled

it."

"I'm sure you could have. However, they were right about one thing. You

are a prize. You are an irreplaceable treasure to our tribe and the thought

of losing you is something that we'd rather avoid. Your mother especially.

But you must understand, that Shampoo and the others care for you. We all

do. So why not just forget what has already happened and concentrate on the

main point. Get them ready for the tournament and show everyone that you

are just as good as people who can see. That is your goal, is it not?" She

then gave him a warm smile. "And besides, girls just can't help themselves

when they're around you. I don't blame them. If I was sixteen again, I'd

act the same way. You are quite the catch."

Ranma took another sigh, then smiled while blushing. "Thank you. I'll go

make things up with Shampoo and the others."

"You're welcome."

At the Tendo home...

"What?! How could you, Nabiki?" Akane said as she just heard the news of

Ranma and the Amazons using the dojo as the training place for their

upcoming match against Kodachi. Genma and Soun were of course ecstatic at

the news as they began scheming to get Ranma and wedding plans. Kasumi had

become very silent when she heard that Ranma was coming. She had become

extremely nervous and was frequently seen staring off into space with a

forlorn look in her eyes.

"What do you mean, Akane? I simply offered them the use of our dojo to help

the school out, and besides, Daddy has already approved of it. Besides, I'd

have thought you'd be glad that Ranma is coming here to train. You're still

interested in learning his techniques, right?"

Akane was taken aback as that thought occurred to her. "Well, yeah, but..."

Her eyes narrowed as she gave her older sibling a look of suspicion. "What

are you up to, Nabiki? What are you getting out of all this?"

Nabiki took on a hurt expression. "Moi? How could you think that I have an

ulterior motive? Why I'm just doing my duty to our school and helping with

winning the tournament."

"Don't hand me that! How much are you getting?"

Nabiki shrugged as she replied, "I don't see why you're getting so upset

about all this. It's not like they're going to interfere with your training

and we've got plenty of room. Besides, this has pretty much nothing to do

with you. Or are you jealous because the gymnastics team asked the Amazons

instead of you, hmmm?"

"Me? Jealous of them? Never!" Akane denied, although deep inside, she was a

bit annoyed. One of the gymnasts was a close friend of hers and she had

partly expected to be asked to replace them. Although she knew nothing

about Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, it would have been nice to have

been offered and given a chance to prove to everyone how good she was. She

was also a bit annoyed at how much more attention the Amazons had been

getting ever since they had become the new gymnastics team. The focus on

them was causing more and more people to lose interest in her. With the

exception of Kuno, Akane was not given much more than a passing glance

nowadays. She was no longer the center of attention and though she'd never

admitted it, she had liked being in the spotlight.

"Well, if you think you can do just as good a job, then why don't you try

to join in the tournament?" Nabiki asked.

Akane was about to dismiss the idea, then thought about it. If she were

part of the team, then she would be able to learn some of Ranma's secrets.

The thought of showing up that arrogant, blind fighter made her smile.

Maybe then, he'd take her seriously as a martial artist! That was one of

the points about him that always irritated her. He considered her skills as

a fighter not worthy enough to be noticed. Well, this was an opportunity to

prove him wrong.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a knock on the front door. Ranma

and the Amazons were here.

Kasumi swallowed hard as she steeled herself while approaching the door.

She silently prayed to Kami-sama to get her through this night. She stepped

up to the door and opened it.

As soon as she saw that handsome face and those sky-blue eyes, she almost

fainted. He was just as attractive as she remembered and emitted a feeling

of warmth that made her insides tingle.

Ranma had stiffened somewhat when his senses detected Kasumi's presence as

she approached the door. He still had unpleasant memories from the last

time they had spoken to each other. He had said many words to her out of

anger and had regretted hurting her. He had eventually came to understand

that it had not been her intention to betray him and he had said some

things that he had truly not meant. Taking a deep breath before the door

opened and gave the eldest Tendo daughter a polite bow.

"Good evening to you, Kasumi Tendo. It is very... nice to meet with you

again."

"H-H-Hello again." The brown-haired girl stammered, then took a moment to

compose herself. "Nabiki is expecting you. Won't you come in?"

Ranma nodded as he led his party inside. He then gestured to the people

behind him. "May I introduce you to my cousin Shampoo, and our friends,

Perfume and Lilac. And this... is Cologne. She is one of the elders of our

village."

"A pleasure." Cologne greeted as she walked into the house. Hopping on a

cane did not make a good first impression.

"Hello."

As Ranma and his party made their way toward the den, the blind fighter

suddenly stiffened as he detected the auras that belonged to two idiots.

"WAAAAAHHHHH! NOW THE HOUSES WILL BE JOINED!"

Soun was like an overflowing water-fountain as he dashed toward Ranma,

intent on crushing him in a bear hug of joy.

WHAM!

Genma gulped as he peeked in from around a corner and saw his friend laid

low on the floor with a huge lump on his head. His friend really should

learn more about restraint. They had spent the better part of the afternoon

scheming to snag the future of the Anything Goes, but as soon as Soun saw

Ranma, all of their carefully laid plans went out the window.

"Please, forgive my... impertinence." Cologne casually slung her staff over

her shoulder.

"But of course, Kasumi said. After all, they were guests and her father had

not acted like the proper host, so it fell to her to show them around.

"Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Ranma shook his head. "Thank you, but no. We have all eaten before we came

here, and we'd rather start our training as soon as possible." Ranma and

Cologne had decided that they eat before coming here to avoid any

underhanded attempts at drugging him or the others. Soun may not resort to

such tactics, but the Unseen Light fighter knew that his father was capable

of such.

As he watched his son and the Amazons head toward the dojo, Genma gulped

again. This was going to be very tricky. Apparently, that aged woman was

some kind of chaperone and had very formidable skills. There was something

about her that put him on edge. It was a feeling that he had not felt in a

long time, not since the old days training under the (shudder) master. The

way she took out Soun in less than a second was proof of her skills.

Something about her put that ingrained self-preservation instincts as well

as absolute terror running down that wet ramen noodle he called a spine.

Only Happosai had made him feel this way, and this Cologne woman reminded

him too much of that ancient lecher.

When Ranma and the others were out of sight, Genma quietly crept over to

his fallen friend, who was still in la-la land.

Outside the dojo...

"So what's the deal?" Ranma asked as he and Nabiki stood outside the dojo.

The girls had already entered the structure with Cologne and were setting

up for an intense bout of training.

"Now why do you think I would be wanting something for letting you use our

dojo for a week?" Nabiki said innocently.

Ranma tilted his head to the side and said with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Let's just say that you don't strike me as the type that would just let

anyone use your property without some kind of compensation. I've heard the

rumors about you, but I prefer to make judgments based on my own...

interpretations. Let's not beat around the bush shall we? What do you want

and how much?"

*Smart boy.* Nabiki was impressed and a little intimidated at the same

time. Even though she knew that Ranma was blind, the way he regarded her

meant that he had a lot of insight and didn't make decisions on just

hearsay. He was very thoughtful, and Nabiki had to phrase this just right.

"Well... there are some things."

*I knew it.* "And...?"

"Well, I've noticed that you have some considerable talent in several

fields and it would be a shame to let those abilities go to waste. I'd like

to... expand on those talents. My family doesn't have much in terms of

regular income and I... have to engage in several... shall we say, business

arrangements to pay the bills. It's not something I'm particularly proud

of, and I'd much rather engage in something more... agreeable."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my father may own the dojo, but he hasn't taught any students since

my mother died. As you may have noticed, he's not exactly suited to being

an instructor."

Ranma nodded. The way his senses were reading her father, Soun was not

likely seem to be like a martial artist who could teach others. With very

little discipline and far less control over his emotions, Nabiki's father

would not be a choice candidate for a sensei. He could also feel the

residual ki impressions of the dojo and it was clear that only Akane used

it on a regular basis. "So what are you proposing?"

"Well, I have a few ideas that may be able to generate better income for

this family and perhaps help you at the same time. For example, your

musical skill with that flute is a moneymaker all by itself. There a lot of

people out there who would pay much for you to play some more. What I'm

asking that in return for the use of our dojo, you agree to use your

talents in some ventures of mine. I give you my word that I won't put you

into any situation that will make you feel uncomfortable or hurt you. I

know all about that pledge that your father and mine made, I promise that I

will not mention it or try to press you into it. I also would like to know

more about you."

"And how is this going to help me?"

"Well, you are trying to prove to the school and everyone else that your...

condition doesn't mean anything, right? I can help you with that too. I

have a few connections and I do command a lot of respect at Furinkan. I'm

giving you a straight deal. You help me out, and I'll help you out. Deal?"

She held out her hand.

Ranma considered the girl in front of him. His senses began probing her

inside out and especially paid close attention to her aura. He could detect

a sharp intelligence and coupled with a craftiness that made him very wary.

Twice the Tendos had already burned him. He didn't want a third strike.

However, his master Koga had taught him never to judge an individual by the

actions of those close to him or her. He could detect a level of sincerity

in Nabiki that was genuine and decided that it was worth it to at least

give this girl the benefit of the doubt.

"Deal." Ranma said reluctantly as he held out his hand and grasped hers.

Nabiki felt a warmth coursing through her as she felt his strong hand clasp

her more slender one. For some reason, she felt a certain something that

she had never felt before. There was something about Ranma that made her

not want to see him hurt and his smile made any hardship seem worthwhile.

A few minutes later, Ranma began reviewing the rules of Martial Arts

Rhythmic Gymnastics to the girls as Cologne stood on guard outside of the

dojo.

"Okay, here's how it goes. Basically, it's like the annual tournaments back

home, except for one main difference. Unarmed attacks are forbidden. That

means that punching and kicking is not allowed. It is considered a foul to

attack without some kind of tool. You can win either by knock out,

submission or forcing your opponent out of the ring."

"Is no problem." Lilac shrugged as she and her sister Amazons sat before

their trainer in their leotards. The red-haired beauty was in a bright

green outfit that had a plunging neckline and rides up a bit in the rear.

"We already know how to fight with weapons." Shampoo remarked. She was

wearing a flattering pink suit with lavender highlights.

"This too, too easy." Perfume said. She was in a skimpy white leotard that

had a Chinese dragon design embroidered in gold thread on one side of her

chest.

"Don't be so sure." Ranma warned. "From what I've been able to discern from

our encounters with Kodachi, she'll do anything to win. She seems to

specialize in dirty maneuvers and hidden weapons. She's not the same

caliber as Mousse, or me but you'd best be on your guard against any

unexpected surprises. On that note, I think that I'm going to try and

increase your sense of awareness and build up on your danger senses. We're

also going to train with these." Ranma gestured to the various clubs,

ribbons, hoops and balls that were laid out on the floor.

Shampoo picked up a pair of clubs and frowned a bit. These were far lighter

than her usual bonbori and she wondered how such flimsy instruments could

be effective.

Perfume took one look at a ribbon and suppressed an urge to laugh. Ranma

was expecting her to fight with this?

Lilac was also thinking the same thing as she looked at an innocent-looking

hoop.

Ranma sensed his pupils' reluctance and disbelief. "Just because they don't

look dangerous, doesn't mean that they aren't. Remember Kodachi and her

ribbon?"

The three girls were silent as they recalled their encounter with the Black

Rose. The insane sister of Kuno had used that flimsy strip of silk like a

whip and it reacted like a living snake.

"With the right amount of ki control, anything can become a deadly weapon."

To demonstrate his point, the blind boy picked up a ribbon and then began

focusing his ki into it. Remembering back to when Kodachi used her ribbon,

he gave the instrument a gentle twirl and flicked his wrist sharply, making

the end lash out like a bullwhip. There was a sharp cracking sound and the

girls flinched as the pink strip of fabric shot forward and snapped between

them.

In an instant, they felt a sharp wind rush by them and then noticed that a

few strands of their hair had been neatly sheared off their temples and

wafted down to the floor. Their eyes widened a bit in awe as Ranma casually

relaxed his hand and let the ki flow out of the ribbon, making it a

harmless strip again.

"Never underestimate your opponent by appearances alone." Ranma stressed.

"Fortunately, since I'm blind, I don't have that problem. You girls are

going to learn to only LOOK with the eyes and SEE with the heart and mind.

If you can do that, then you'll do fine against St. Hebereke."

"So now we start?" Lilac asked.

Ranma nodded as he gestured for his trainees to get up and take stances. As

he did so, he suddenly picked up the familiar ki energies of Genma and Soun

lurking nearby the dojo. He suddenly tensed up, then relaxed a few moments

later and smiled as he detected Cologne's ki approaching them from behind.

A couple of light thwacks were heard and Ranma knew that he would not be

disturbed by the less-than-dynamic duo this night.

It was then that he detected another ki energy approaching the front of the

dojo and recognized it. Since Cologne was making no effort to stop her,

Ranma decided that she wasn't any threat and motioned for the girls to

begin with their exercises.

Akane entered the dojo, dressed in her usual yellow gi and stopped at the

front door as she saw the Amazons move with a speed and grace that made her

own moves seem slow and choppy. Shampoo was going through a kata with a

pair of clubs, trying to get a feel for the lighter weapons. Every now and

then, she would toss them up in the air and do a fancy backflip or spin

before deftly catching them. Perfume was slowly twirling her ribbon about

in graceful arcs, gradually building up speed while at the same time

sidestepping and twisting about to avoid being tangled up in it. Lilac was

currently practicing her evasion techniques as she held up a hoop and used

it to block each of Ranma's strikes as he stabbed with his staff.

However, they all stopped when they noticed Akane.

Outside the dojo...

Cologne smiled with satisfaction as she tied up the two unconscious dopes

that had attempted to snare the prize of the Amazons. She had expected that

they would try something stupid, judging from their past actions.

Fortunately, she had foiled their plan before it even got off the ground.

Flashback...

"This time Tendo, TRY to control yourself until AFTER we get the boy!"

Genma whispered as they crouched behind a tree at the back of the dojo.

"I'm sorry Saotome, but when I saw my future son-in-law, I..."

"Never mind that now, Tendo. Now do you understand the plan?"

Soun nodded as he held up a homemade fusebomb. "Akane is heading toward the

dojo now, and she'll most certainly challenge Ranma to a match. When they

begin, I throw this into the dojo."

"Right. That'll be my cue to rush in, knock out my son, and get out before

the smoke clears. When they see that Ranma is defeated, they'll think that

Akane had beaten him. According to their laws, he'll have to marry her!"

"Brilliant Saotome! The schools will be united!" Soun declared as his eyes

welled with tears.

"Yes, we shall ensure the happiness of our children and secure the future

of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!" *And my early retirement

living in luxury will be assured! *

"It's Soun's..."

"And Genma's..."

"Operation Smokescreen!" The two chorused together while taking a pose.

"Nothing can stop us now!" Genma said with glee.

"I don't think so."

Both men stiffened at the sound of a very forceful and menacing voice

behind them. For a brief moment, they thought it was their dreaded master,

but then realized that the voice was a bit higher pitched. The last thing

they saw when they turned around was the sight of a wooden cane as it

blurred forward and smacked them both between the eyes.

End of flashback...

For an experienced matriarch of the Amazons, it had been child's play for

Cologne to sneak up behind the two conspirators without being detected.

There were only two people whom she could never approach without being

sensed: Ranma and his late master Koga. She had listened in on Genma and

Soun's plan and had been no more than a foot behind them! After knocking

the two out and making sure that they wouldn't be able to try anything

else, she sat down on the ground and began to contemplate.

*So, they know about our tribe's marriage laws, do they? I suspected as

much. * The Elder had considered the possibility after she had noticed that

Ranma's Book of Tribal Law was missing. She had not seen it since that

night when Genma and his friend had broke into Pepper's Place to kidnap the

boy. She had later assumed that Genma had taken it. Ranma had been so

preoccupied with his current problems that he had not noticed his book was

missing until later. Not that he needed it, since he had memorized every

one of village laws.

Cologne shook her head and sighed. She would have to keep an extra-careful

watch over the boy. She swore by all of her ancestors that Genma would

never get his greedy hands on Ranma. Furthermore, she would rather not face

Jasmine and tell her that she had lost her son to that panda. Though it

would have solved all their problems if she were to finish him off here and

now, she didn't want to get involved with Japan's legal systems.

Inside the dojo, Ranma had found his voice after Akane had said that she

wanted to join the gymnastics team and train with them for the upcoming

match against St. Hebereke.

"You to join the team? What for?" Ranma couldn't understand why she wanted

to get involved.

Akane became a little irritated as she replied; "It's called Martial Arts

Rhythmic Gymnastics, right? I'm a martial artist too! I can do just as well

as the others! C'mon, let me train with you."

"We no need anyone else." Perfume said as she mentally assessed Akane's

current level of skill, which hadn't improved very much since the last time

they saw her.

"You not know about gymnastics." Lilac added.

"We'll do all right on our own." Shampoo assured.

Ranma nodded as he tried to put it in a way that didn't sound offensive.

"As you can see, we're fine right now and I think we can handle anything

Kodachi throws at us. We really don't need another member. Thanks for the

offer but..."

Of course, Akane saw this gentle turndown as a slight to her skills and

said angrily, "So you don't think I'm good enough to join? Is that it?"

Ranma held up a hand defensively, as he said, "Hey, now don't take this the

wrong way. I'm sure that with enough practice and time, you can get the

hang of Rhythmic Gymnastics, but time is really limited. We've already had

extensive acrobatic training before we even came here and we can't stop now

to train you in the basics and... darn, that didn't come out right. What I

meant to say is..."

"Oh, so you think I can't handle it? Is that it?" Akane's temper began to

rise a few more notches. "Fine, I'll show you! Just watch me!"

The youngest member of the Tendo clan stomped up to the middle of the dojo

where some equipment was laying and picked up a pair of clubs. She then

leapt up and did a pirouette in the air with one leg extended. At the same

time, she tossed the two clubs into the air. She landed on her feet with

her arms extended and smiled in triumph as she waited for the clubs to land

perfectly in her hands.

Clunk. Clunk.

The clubs she had tossed up landed five feet away on either side of her.

"Lilac think you should catch clubs, yes?"

"Who asked you?" Akane then bent down and picked up the handle of a ribbon.

*Maybe I should try the ribbon. *

Less than two seconds later, she was standing with one arm above her head

with the ribbon hopelessly tangled around her body.

"Perfume not know that getting tangled in ribbon part of tournament."

"Oh shut up!" Akane fumed as she worked to get her out of the mess. A

minute later, she tried rolling through a hoop. She ended up breaking it

when she overextended a leg and her ankle got caught up in it.

"Are you supposed to break the hoop?" Shampoo asked.

"ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Akane screamed as she began stomping her feet, and

cursing the implements that seemed to mock her.

Ranma shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Gymnastics were

supposed to be graceful and refined, but Akane had all the grace and

refinement of a drunken gorilla. She was a klutz, plain and simple.

"Akane Tendo, we thank you for your offer, but I think we can do without

you."

Akane gave Ranma a glare after hearing this. How dare he just dismiss her

so casually? Here she was, lending them HER dojo to train and they just

brush her off? All right, technically it was her father's dojo, but she was

the heir to her family's school!

"I just need is a little practice, that's all!" Akane said angrily.

"Correction, you need a LOT of practice. Perhaps with more time, you can

become better, but we simply don't have that luxury. We've got a little

more than three days left. From you've demonstrated so far, you lack

patience, discipline and that temper of yours is just making everything

worse. You expect to get it right on the first try? I don't think so. We

need teamwork to beat Kodachi and I'm afraid that you are just not suited

for that."

"I can do it!" Akane protested, her anger nearing the boiling point from

Ranma's comments. "Since when are you such an expert?"

Ranma remained firm. "You are only fooling yourself if you think you can

achieve Shampoo, Lilac, or Perfume's level in so little time, let alone

become good enough to stand up against Kodachi, and she fights dirty. The

answer is no."

Akane gave Ranma a cold glare. She had thought to become a bit friendlier

and offer her skills. She had been secretly hoping to learn some of the

Unseen Light techniques but this arrogant boy was brushing her off. She

then turned her chin up and stalked out of the dojo. "Fine then! Who needs

your stupid training anyway? I hope Kodachi beats the entire lot of you!

Let's see how happy you'll be when you have to date her!" She bit back her

tears at being rejected as she left the dojo.

Ranma sighed as he shook his head and turned back to the other Amazons.

"Don't you think you were a bit hard on her?"

Ranma stiffened a bit at the sound of Kasumi's voice. Though he had already

detected her presence as she approached the dojo, he was still a bit

nervous at confronting her. She was now at the front door and was holding a

tray of tea things for the guests. Ranma could feel the sadness in her aura

as she faced him and could tell that she was feeling regret over the hurt

she had unintentionally caused. He didn't want to face this person who had

betrayed him, yet he couldn't really bring himself to despise her. She

reminded him a lot about his Amazon mother and he wasn't one to keep

holding a grudge. Still, they did need to get some things settled between

them.

"Ranma?" Shampoo asked.

"Keep practicing with the equipment and then we'll spar. I'll only be a few

minutes."

His cousin and her friends nodded as they went back to their exercises.

Ranma gestured for Kasumi to follow him outside. She nodded at the silent

message and set the tray down to follow him.

In the backyard, near the koi pond, Akane was pounding the living daylights

out of a training dummy, which had a distinctive, black ponytail near the

head.

"BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!"

Akane was more than mad, she was infuriated. How dare Ranma just disregard

her like that? She was a martial artist too, damn it! So she needed some

more practice, but that didn't mean that he had to shoot her down like

that! Him and that know-it-all attitude of his! Well, she'd show him! He'll

learn to take her more seriously! She'd show them all that Akane Tendo is

not some joke!

At the back of the dojo, Ranma stood with his arms crossed as he and Kasumi

began to talk.

"Akane is really a good person, and I think you shouldn't treat her so

harshly."

"Oh? And how do you think I should treat her?" Ranma said with a firm tone.

"Apparently, she can't take criticism very well, nor consider the

consequences of her actions. And speaking of thinking of the consequences

of one's actions, I do recall requesting that you do not tell anyone about

my condition."

Kasumi bowed her head in shame as she replied quietly, "Yes, you have every

right to hate me for telling Akane. That was unforgivable on my part."

"Oh I don't really hate you but, to say that I'm a bit ANNOYED would be an

understatement."

"I swear, I meant you no harm, but I thought "

Ranma cut her off. "That's the problem, Kasumi Tendo, you DIDN'T think!

Like your sister, you failed to realize the consequences and only saw the

problem on the surface. Though I can understand you for your error in

judgment, I WON'T forget about it, nor forgive."

"I don't expect you to. I never wanted to hurt you, but I will atone for

my mistake. I promise you that."

"Do not make promises that you cannot keep." Ranma said with a hard edge.

"Your family has already caused me a great deal of pain and I have no wish

to receive more headaches."

"Please " Kasumi pleaded. "Don't judge us all because of a few mistakes. I

don't want things to be this way between your family and mine. I want to

start over and perhaps get to know you better. At the very least, you can

at give me the chance to make up for what I did to you. I swear to you on

my mother's grave that I will make up for it, if you would just give me the

chance."

Ranma was very silent as he probed her aura and inner being. There was no

mistaking the sincerity in her words. She really did want to smooth things

over with him. To swear on her mother's grave and really mean it, only

strengthened the promise she was offering now. She was telling the truth

and Ranma could not deny it.

"Kasumi Tendo, I bear no malice toward you, though you had broken your

promise to me. Apology accepted."

Kasumi allowed herself a small smile. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Some time later

From her bedroom window, Nabiki was looking through her camera's telephoto

lens at the Amazons as they exercised in the dojo. She had already snapped

several shots as the curvaceous females bounced around in their

tight-fitting leotards. Kuno would pay top yen for photos such as these.

She leaned forward a bit more to get a better angle when a very muscular

chest suddenly blocked her view.

Nabiki looked up in surprise and saw Ranma hanging upside down from the

roof edge.

"I figured you'd try something like this." Ranma said.

Busted.

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: Hey don't look at me. I write 'em, you read 'em.

* *: Thoughts

" ": Chinese language

Chapter 10

Part 3

The Deal

"Hey!" Nabiki cried out as Ranma easily snatched up her camera and

took out the film. He then entered her room from his upside-down

perch and handed her camera back to her while frowning.

"It seems that you share the same problems with your sisters." Ranma

said coldly.

"What are you talking about? We had a deal!" Nabiki couldn't believe

that she had just lost a grand opportunity to make major yen notes.

For those photos, Kuno would have shelled out enough money to put

the Tendo household in the black for at least a month.

"As I recall, the deal was for ME to help you in earning some money

for your family. I did not include my sister Amazons. And as I said

before, you have the same problems as your sisters."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nabiki asked with suspicions.

"Not thinking about the consequences of your actions." Ranma stated

as he stood with crossed arms. "Do you realize what kind of havoc

you would cause if perverts like Kuno got a hold of these photos?"

Ranma held up the film before using his ki to cause it to crumble into

powder. "I especially don't want that wannabe samurai to get these.

As twisted as he is, he might think that these photos were some kind

of sign that Shampoo and the others might actually like him! I didn't

go through all that trouble of dislocating his shoulders in front of

those other idiots, just so you could cause them to have a raging

hormone attack and stir up more headaches!"

Nabiki winced as she remembered back to the time when Kuno had

decreed that no one could date the Amazons unless they were

defeated in battle. Ranma had made short work of that by causing

Kuno's shoulders to wrench from their sockets. Since then, the

Amazons were treated with the utmost of respect and any lurid

fantasies about them were kept in private.

"But " Nabiki began.

"Stuff it Nabiki." Ranma growled, cutting her off. "I don't want to

hear about it. Shampoo, Perfume and Lilac showing off their bodies

of their own accord is one thing, but sneaking pictures of them to sell

to perverts without their permission is something else entirely. You're

just lucky that I was the one to catch you instead of one of the girls."

"What do you mean?"

"Akane may let you get away with selling pictures of her, because

you're her sister, but Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume wouldn't be as

merciful. Take it from me, any profits you would have made from

those photos wouldn't have even begin to cover the cost of your

hospital stay, provided that you survived at all."

"They wouldn't "

"Oh yes they would, and I'm very tempted to tell them about it. You're

no martial artist Nabiki Tendo and you wouldn't stand a chance

against them. Take it from someone who knows. Back in the village,

I've had to patch up dozens of peeping toms. Many of them were

martial artists and those three girls alone put them into traction for

months!"

"But the deal "

"The deal was that I help out in a few of your ventures to raise money

for your family in exchange for the use of your dojo. However, I

recall that you said that we are not to be put in any situation that

might be harmful to us. Those pictures you took would have caused

some serious damage and I will not allow for it."

Nabiki didn't like the tone that Ranma was using on her, though she

couldn't argue that she did tell him that no one would be hurt. She

reluctantly nodded. "All right, I remember that I did say that, but you

must understand me. I have to do what it takes to keep this family

afloat. As I told you before, Daddy doesn't have any regular income

and Kasumi is too busy taking care of the household. This is what I

do, and you're going to accept that about me. I'm not doing these

things out of enjoyment. It's for my family."

Ranma was silent for a moment. He then said, "That's not all true, and

you know it."

"What?"

Ranma's mouth became a firm, straight line. "One benefit to being

blind is that I'm not distracted by false fronts and appearances. My

abilities can smell a lie. You may be doing this in part to keep your

family going, but I also sense you do enjoy the power and control

that you exert over others. From what I'm reading, you have been

seeking control for a long time. Something traumatic must have

happened to you that caused you to erect this wall around you and

you're just trying to hide your own insecurities by making others feel

intimidated. Once you found that you had control, you began getting

used to the power it gave you and never considered the harm you

were intentionally or unintentionally causing to others. And even

when you did see the damage you had caused, you only saw it as

more ways to further exert your control." Ranma paused for a

moment, then said, "Well, am I right?"

Nabiki was absolutely unnerved by this boy. His words had struck

her to the core. *Is he some kind of psychic?* His guesses were dead

on. Ever since her mother had died when she was nine, Nabiki had

felt the need to take control and never feel the helplessness she had

experienced when Kimiko Tendo had passed away. The loss of one

parent and the self-despair of the other had caused the family to

begin collapsing. Kasumi was forced to take on the burden of

cleaning, cooking and caring for the other members of the Tendo

Clan. Akane had thrown herself into her training as her anger and

frustration built up over the years. As for Nabiki, she had begun

looking for ways to earn income to pay for the bills, since her father

had proven to be unsuitable to continue training students.

However, a girl of her age couldn't get a job, so Nabiki had to resort

to other means to earn money. She already had a talent for

numbers and figures, so when opportunity appeared for a scam,

Nabiki did so without hesitation. She had steadfastly maintained that

it was all for her family's sake, but now after Ranma's accusations,

she wasn't so sure as she was a few minutes ago.

Was she actually enjoying the control that her position as the Ice

Queen and Mercenary was giving her? Did she actually enjoy the

pain and misery she caused to others because it helped her forget the

heartache she felt when Kimiko died? Did she really not think about

the consequences of her actions? She had always made certain that

any scheme she had hatched up would never get her into trouble or

put her in a position of weakness. However, she had never really

thought about what damage she was causing to others.

The situation with Akane and Kuno was a prime example. Nabiki had

thought she had netted a rich pigeon when the insane kendoist had

become smitten with her sister. The wannabe samurai was willing to

spend outrageous amounts of yen for photos or any information

concerning about his so-called true love. When Kuno had made that

stupid decree about defeating Akane, every boy in school had gone

after her and Nabiki's profit margins reached new heights with her

betting odds and photos. Even though Akane's sister had found out

that getting a date for the weekend became almost impossible

afterwards, Nabiki simply took it in stride and continued on with her

mercenary work, not realizing that she was escalating the problem.

Now that she thought about it, the middle daughter saw that she

didn't help matters much by her plans and moneymaking operations.

Her sister would always come home fuming and shouting out about

what a jerk Kuno was. And what she did she do? Did she try to

console her sister? No, she had simply let it go on because it was too

profitable. She had put the value of the yen over her family to help

her family. She had to shake her head at that conflicting conclusion.

It was at that time that the rest of Ranma's words came back to haunt

her, especially the words, 'even when you did see the damage you

caused, you only saw it as more ways to exert your control.' *I don't

do that!* As soon as that thought was in her mind, she knew that she

was in denial. Of course she did that. She was heavily into blackmail

and extortion. Many of her schemes had uncovered secrets about

other students, which she used to keep them in line. Many students

would pay much to learn about the secrets of others and on the other

hand, many would pay for her not to reveal those bits of information.

No wonder the boys avoided her, other than the fact they were all

chasing Akane.

Nabiki gazed at the blind boy in front of her and wondered just how

could a sightless person like him be so insightful. With just a few

words, Ranma had made her reexamine and question herself;

something she had not done in a long time, because she was sure that

she had been following the correct path. Ranma had a certain quality

that that Nabiki found both frightening, yet fascinating. He could not

be lied to and the strange abilities he possessed had rendered most of

Nabiki's savvy and fancy twisting of words useless.

And yet, it was that same quality that interested Nabiki so much

about Ranma. Was it because she had met her match in a person who

would not back down against her? Was it because he wouldn't bow

down Akane? Or was it because of something more?

Nabiki had already seen the look in Kasumi concerning Ranma and it

was clear to her that her older sister had fallen hard for him. Why

else was Kasumi so insistent that she not hurt him when she told her

about his blindness. And when Ranma seemed to become very cold

against her later on, she could see the tears in Kasumi's eyes and how

his hostility toward her tore at her heart. Later on that night, Nabiki

had noticed that her elder sibling had regained a bit of light in her

face and assumed that Ranma must have forgiven her for her blunder.

*What kind of person is he to instill such intense feelings toward

others?* She had seen the reactions of the Amazons and other girls at

school whenever Ranma was near. His music had caused the entire

school to be moved and his techniques in the Unseen Light never

failed to amaze spectators. The fact that he was handsome, tall and

well formed was not lost on her, but he seemed to radiate a kind of

inner beauty and empathy that made her feel sad, whenever he felt

sad. Whenever he smiled, she would feel good. And whenever he

laughed, she would feel

It was at that point that Nabiki realized something shocking. She

could now understand why Kasumi had fallen for him. It was

because she was also falling under his spell. Just being with him

for this short amount of time and thinking about what he had said

about her was making her understand why he disapproved of her

recent actions. Without even trying, Ranma had stripped the

emotional barriers that she had spent years in erecting, and made her

question her true self. And she didn't like what she found. If always

being in control and hurting others to maintain that control also

meant being alone, then it wasn't worth it.

With that in mind, Nabiki slowly nodded and said, "You're right

Ranma. You're absolutely right. I had no business in taking those

pictures without asking for those girls' permission. I'm . (Takes a

deep swallow) sorry."

Ranma considered her words as he probed her feelings. Finding the

results as satisfactory, he nodded and said, "Apology accepted. Now

that we got that out of the way, I must return to train the others. We'll

discuss arrangements to repay the use of the dojo at school

tomorrow."

"All right." Nabiki replied as Ranma leapt out of her bedroom and

headed back toward the dojo. As she watched his fine form enter the

dojo, Nabiki let off a forlorn sigh. Ranma was indeed a special

character and she found that she was looking forward to getting to

know him better. Whenever she was around him, she found that her

normal Ice Queen routine did not work with him and the only way

she could feel comfortable is to let go of that iron-grip control she

had on her emotions. Though the prospect of losing control scared

her, she had discovered that with Ranma, the prospect didn't seem all

that bad.

Since there was no other reason for her to be up and it was getting

late in the evening, Nabiki went about preparing for bed. As she laid

done to sleep, her last thoughts were about a certain sightless boy

who had made her open her own eyes and truly see herself in a long

time. She then realized that she was going to spend a lot of time with

him and she was looking very forward to it. She drifted off to sleep

with a smile on her face. It wasn't the same grin of avarice that she

usually carried but one of serenity.

In the dojo, the Amazons pushed themselves even harder as they

trained for the upcoming battle.

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: I have an interdimensional mallet and I'm not afraid to use it.

* *: Thoughts

: Chinese language

Chapter 11

The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Battle

Part One

Akane watched with disdain as the Amazons and Ranma trained in the dojo,

preparing for the upcoming match that was to take place tomorrow. For the

last few days, Ranma had been putting the warrior girls through their

paces, using himself as the target. She snorted in disgust at how he

continued to dodge their strikes as they hurled clubs, hoops and lashed out

with their ribbons.

*Hmpf! How does he expect them to get any better if he doesn't let them

practice on him? * Akane thought as she watched Ranma move with incredible

agility and speed, evading each projectile and attack by mere centimeters.

The fact that he was blind made the feats seem even more amazing.

*Those girls don't stand a chance if all Ranma is going to do is dodge

their attacks! * Akane thought as she continued to observe that the Amazons

were still unable to land a hit on their instructor, though they were only

missing by scant centimeters.

By this time, Ranma was already reading the level of hostility and smugness

coming from Akane as he continued to evade his sister Amazons. After

another ten minutes of training, Ranma gracefully landed in-between Lilac

and Perfume, catching the ends of their ribbons as both girls lashed

forward with them. Each ribbon end was caught between his index and middle

fingers. At the same time, Shampoo hurled a pair of clubs at her cousin's

face, but Ranma simply deflected them, by flipping a ball on the floor,

with the tip of his foot. The clubs bounced off and went flying off to the

sides. He then gave slight nod and the girls relaxed in their stances.

"Well done girls. Your teamwork is coming along very well. Take a rest for

a few minutes." Ranma said as he released the ends of their ribbons.

The three girls nodded as they picked up towels to wipe the sweat from

their foreheads. The last few days had been very grueling for them, as the

Unseen Light fighter had put them through a series of training sessions

that had been more intense then they had ever been through back in the

village. The blind fighter would continually attack them, testing their

reflexes and sixth senses. In class, Ranma would purposely throw something

at their heads to catch them off-guard, say an eraser or pencil. At lunch,

he would try to sneak their food away, making them more aware of their

environment. He would attack them in their beds at night, testing their

danger senses. As they worked at the dojo, the blind boy would challenge

them to try to strike him, continually increasing the pace as they began to

get closer to landing a blow. He had also been teaching them the Hidden

Weapons style. Mousse had never taught anyone of his fighting style and

shared the secret with no one. However, Ranma's senses had already

discerned how the trick worked and wasn't above teaching the other Amazons.

At this point, all three girls were now proficient at hiding their ribbons

and a few clubs. Considering that they wore only skintight outfits and

didn't leave any outlines of what they hid, that was a considerable

achievement.

He then turned to Akane and said, "We'll be finished in about an hour, then

the dojo is all yours."

"It's about time." Akane snorted. "Not that you've been doing very much

training all week."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked in an annoyed tone.

"You're not making them any better by just dodging you know." Akane

sneered. "They won't stand a chance against Kodachi if all you do is avoid

their attacks."

"Oh?" Ranma replied in a sarcastic tone. "And I suppose they would benefit

by going through the kind of training that you go through every day?" Ranma

had observed what Akane did to keep in shape, and it was nowhere near the

caliber that even novice Amazon fighters underwent. " Breaking targets that

neither hit back nor dodge is hardly a fitting benchmark to one's skills."

"What did you say?" Akane said, as her tone became a bit colder.

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly. "Kodachi isn't like those bricks and training

dummies. She's not going to stand still and just give you opportunities to

hit her. There is a reason why I dodge Shampoo and the others. Right now, I

am dodging at twice the speed that I estimate Kodachi is capable of doing.

The fact that Shampoo and the others are coming close to striking me is

proof that they will be able to match her. If we were to just practice with

inanimate objects like you, then we would lose in no time. Martial Arts

Rhythmic Gymnastics is primarily based on agility, coordination, strategy,

and speed. Striking power means very little if one is not able to hit the

target. You are far too concerned with increasing the power of your blows

that you neglect all the other aspects of the battle. Then again, that's

what I'd expect from an undisciplined amateur."

"Amateur?!" Akane said in a huff as she got ready to attack Ranma for that

insult. At that moment, he chose to turn his back to her. Akane lunged with

a straight punch to his head. However, in the next instant, she found

herself flying through the air and landing hard on her face on the other

side of the dojo.

Ranma shook his head and sighed. He sensed that attack coming a mile away.

He shook his head and called out to Akane. "It also requires control and it

is very obvious that you are seriously lacking in that department. Your

temper will be your undoing every time."

Akane angrily got to her feet to attack Ranma again, but she soon found

herself being glared at by three very irritated Amazons.

Lilac, Shampoo and Perfume all knew that Ranma could easily handle this

uppity and ill-mannered girl, but they still took offense to her attacking

their intended husband from behind. They were getting ready to pound Akane

into the floor of the dojo when Ranma sensed the rise in hostilities and

held up a hand.

"There will be no fighting." Ranma turned back to Akane. "As I said before,

we shall be finished within an hour. Since this is our last night, we shall

wrap up our training and leave. Afterwards, the dojo will be yours to use

as you see fit. Until then, it would be best for everyone if you were to

leave us alone."

"Bastard!" Akane spat out. "Why don't you just leave now? This dojo belongs

to me and you have no right to be here!"

Ranma crossed his arms and addressed Akane in a patient, yet annoyed tone.

"As I recall, this dojo was offered to us for use by your sister Nabiki, in

return for a few favors. I have held up my end of the bargain. It had

nothing to do with you and besides, you don't own this dojo, your father

does."

"It's my legacy, MY heritage!" Akane said, her anger building.

"Then it is a DEAD legacy." Ranma said flatly. "This dojo is nothing more

than a deadweight to this family and you're better off without it. If

Nabiki has to earn income to maintain a dojo that has no students, then it

is not worth the effort. And if you're the best student that this school

has to offer, then we have really nothing to be concerned about."

"How dare you!" By referring the dojo as deadweight, Akane had seen it as

an insult to both her family and her school. "The Tendo School of Anything

Goes Martial Arts is the finest in the world! I'll show you what a REAL

martial artist can do! I challenge you!"

Ranma gave off a slight snort, then said, "Challenge? You're no challenge

at all. Neither are you a real martial artist."

"ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Akane lunged at Ranma, but again found herself flying

through the air. This time, she went out the front door and landed on the

back lawn. She got up and saw Ranma calmly closing the sliding door. Before

it shut, he addressed her. "Be done in an hour."

The youngest Tendo daughter scowled, as she was about to stomp back into

the dojo and pound that arrogant jerk into goo. That was when Nabiki came

up.

"Forget it Akane. He's way beyond you in terms of skill, power or anything

to do with martial arts."

"Oooh, just you wait, I'll show him!" Akane spat out as she stomped toward

the house.

Nabiki rolled her eyes and sighed. She called after her as she entered the

house. "Give it a rest. They're going to be gone after tonight and that

will be that." The middle daughter of Soun Tendo felt a bit of sadness as

she mentioned this. She was really going to miss having him around. True to

his word, Ranma had helped raise money for her family. He had used his

extraordinary musical talents to set up small concerts. Then there was that

recording studio that wanted to sign him up. He used his special senses to

aid Nabiki in tough negotiations with other clients. Since he could tell

when someone was hiding something or lying, Nabiki saved a bundle in

avoiding bad deals and getting money from people who owed her. Of course,

with Kuno constantly attacking Ranma, the betting pools also generated

quite a tidy sum.

But now, he was leaving and Nabiki still couldn't figure out how to make

him stay. The blind boy had kept himself at arm's length and the Tendo

daughter had not learned much more about him. He wasn't very cooperative

whenever she asked him about his past.

As Nabiki contemplated on how she could glean more information about Ranma,

the eldest Tendo sister also looked forlornly at the dojo from the kitchen

window. Kasumi felt her heavy heart as she thought about Ranma leaving her

home, probably never to return. In the few days that Ranma was here, Kasumi

had experienced a sense of happiness and contentment that seemed to radiate

from the unseeing martial artist. Ranma had long since forgiven her of her

blunder and Kasumi had tried her best to make amends and get closer to him.

However, like Nabiki, she too could not make any headway with him.

At the back of the dojo, Cologne finished with tying up Soun and Genma.

Over the last week, the pair had made no less than fifty attempts to force

Ranma into marriage with Akane. Tonight's attempt was probably their most

desperate. As soon as Ranma had entered the Tendo compound, Akane's father

had gone into this Demon Head attack and saying 'You will marry Akane!' but

this direct approach was totally ineffective. Though the Demon Head could

cow an inexperienced person into submission, Ranma's lack of sight made the

technique absolutely useless. Genma had thought to use the diversion to

sneak up from behind to knock Ranma out, but the Unseen Light Fighter

simply grabbed his father and body-slammed him into Soun, knocking them

both out.

As she made certain that the two conspirators were secured for the night,

the aged matriarch's senses began to pick up a massive amount of ki being

manipulated. She looked back to the dojo and nodded, recognizing the

individual ki sources. Ranma was now putting the girls through their final

training lessons.

Inside the dojo, each girl was wearing a blindfold, as her aura flared up.

Ranma approached them and began stabbing at them with his staff. Using only

their sixth senses and hearing, the Amazons swerved and dogged the strikes

as they started to increase in speed and intensity.

"Use your sixth senses to FEEL danger. Let your other senses be your

allies. Remember, your eyes are only for LOOKING, not for SEEING." The

blind teenager instructed, as he helped his sister Amazons attain a new

level of awareness. For the past week, not only had Ranma been training

their physical skills, but also aided them in manipulating their ki to

enhance their other senses, including their sense for danger. Given

Kodachi's penchant for hiding unexpected surprises such as paralysis powder

and poisons, having an early-warning system would be a great asset.

As the exercise began to pick up the pace, Ranma began deploying his Hidden

Weapon techniques against them. Though their sixth senses could now detect

the ki being used to make weapons emerge, they could not determine what

kind of weapons he was using. Ranma wasn't expecting them to know as they

still had their sight and would never be able to detect objects as he could

with his seventh sense.

Ranma first made a trio of throwing daggers to appear and threw them at

Shampoo. His cousin sensed the danger and swerved to the right. The daggers

imbedded themselves into the opposite wall. Ranma then threw a barrage of

shurikens at Perfume. She also successfully evaded the danger. Then it was

Lilac's turn as Ranma threw out a ribbon, hoping to ensnare her right leg.

Since this was not going to hurt her like the blades and the throwing

stars, Ranma expected her not to be able to detect the danger and instead

react to the sounds that his movements made. That was when he suddenly

sensed something strange, being emitted from her as he lashed forward.

Instead of swerving to the side to avoid it, the red-haired girl stomped

down with her fight foot, pinning down the ribbon firmly to the floor of

the dojo.

Ranma was speechless. He began focusing his senses on her. The emission he

had felt before was weak, almost below even his sensitivity. Try as he

could, he couldn't sense it again.

Later at the Nekohanten...

So, are they ready for the tournament tomorrow? Cologne asked as the two

sat at a table in the restaurant. The girls had all gone to bed early so

that they could be well rested for tomorrow's tournament.

"They are as ready as they will ever be." The blind fighter affirmed as

he took a sip of his tea. "I'd like to thank you Cologne for watching out

for my father and his tricks."

"It was my pleasure." The three-hundred-year-old Amazon replied. As she

thought back to when they left the Tendo Dojo, she couldn't believe just

how pathetic Soun and his friend were. He had burst into tears and bawled

about uniting the schools of the Anything Goes. At the same time, Genma

went on and on about how his son had no honor and such. That was when they

tried to bumrush Ranma, but were stopped in their tracks, literally.

Cologne's knowledge of pressure points was only equaled by Ranma's and

Jasmine's.

"What is wrong Ranma?" Cologne noted that that the only user of the

Unseen Light was deep in thought.

"It's Lilac."

"What about her?"

Ranma paused for a long time before replying. "I... detected something in

her when I tested her sixth sense. She can sense danger as well as Shampoo

and Perfume, but the way she reacted... I'm not sure, but I think she MIGHT

have a seventh sense."

"The seventh sense?" Cologne was quite surprised. She was one of the few

Elders in the village that was even aware of the legendary extra sense that

could detect objects, rather than just the ki of others. Koga had mentioned

it to her and she was under the impression that a sighted person could

never fully realize it since they were too dependent on their eyes.

Ranma nodded. "I felt it only for a very brief moment. Maybe I just

imagined it, though it did feel the same as I did when I first learned of

it."

"Why this is wonderful! Wouldn't it be grand if she really did learn to

use the seventh sense?" Though Cologne did want to have her

great-granddaughter with the same potential. Still, it was incredible to

think that the Amazons could harness this ability.

Ranma shook his head. "Let's not be too hasty. I said I only felt it for

an instant. It felt like Master Koga's seventh sense at its most basic and

fundamental levels and it was extremely weak. It could have been just a

fluke."

Cologne nodded, as she didn't want to get too ahead of herself. It could

have been a fluke, but if it wasn't, then the Amazons could be lifted to

greater glories if they could develop Ranma's extraordinary abilities. In

any case, her great-granddaughter and her friends would do well enough by

tomorrow. Seeing Ranma becoming accepted at Furinkan as well as Japanese

society was also a reward in itself.

On a boat heading toward Japan, Jasmine smiled as she and her three

friends, Honey, Silk and Satin leaned on the railing. The healer was very

anxious to meet up with her adopted son and see how he is doing. She had

missed him terribly and couldn't wait to see him. Her three traveling

companions were also eager to meet up with her son, but for more amorous

reasons. They would arrive in Japan by tomorrow afternoon.

In Juuban, a certain woman was talking into a phone to a private detective.

"Yes, I understand Mr. Saeba. I know it's not much to go on, but I do wish

to know the whereabouts of my son and husband. Genma keeps on sending

letters, saying that the training is going well, but he never gives me any

details. I can't help but feel that something is wrong."

The woman talked for a few minutes more before closing the deal and hanging

up the phone. She then walked over to watch the sunset from her living room

window and sighed.

"Ranma."

The next day...

Ranma and the Amazons woke early that morning and prepared for the match

between Furinkan and St. Hebereke's gymnastics teams. The three girls and

Cologne followed Ranma as he exited the restaurant to head toward St.

Hebereke. Each girl was carrying a duffel bag filled with their outfits,

weapons and other equipment. They went around back to where Pepper was

waiting for them with a minivan. The group put their luggage in the back

and got into their seats. A moment later, they were on their way.

A few blocks away, a certain Master of Hidden Weapons was making his way

toward the all-girls school where he had heard that Amazons were to be

competing. Certain that his beloved Shampoo would be there, the near-blind

Amazon named Mousse made a beeline toward the school for what was sure to

be a joyful reunion, or so he thought.

At the St. Hebereke gymnasium, students from both schools were filling up

the bleachers as they waited for the tournament to begin. On the sidelines,

Nabiki and her flunkies were busy taking bets on the outcomes of the

matches and who would face off against Kodachi. The mercenary Tendo felt a

lump in her throat as she glimpsed Ranma and the Amazons pass by the main

area and head toward their dressing room. Sitting in the stands near battle

ring, were Akane and two of her friends. Though the youngest Tendo daughter

couldn't care less who won the tournament, she still wanted to see exactly

what Ranma had taught the Amazons.

Ranma and his team approached their dressing room and were about to go in

when the blind boy's danger sense went off and his nose picked up something

unusual.

"Hold it!" Ranma spread his arms in front of the group, motioning them to

stop. He cautiously opened the door and his senses locked onto an object

that was lying on a table.

Shampoo scooted to the side and looked over Ranma's shoulder. "What is

wrong? It's just a bouquet of flowers."

Ranma shook his head. Though Shampoo and the others each had a heightened

sixth sense, they could only detect immediate danger, such as an opponent

attacking from behind. Ranma's sixth sense could also detect potential

danger, such as hidden traps. He made a throwing spike appear and hurled it

at the bouquet. As soon as it struck the flowers, a huge cloud of noxious

fumes exploded from it as Ranma quickly shut the door.

The three girls were shocked at what could have happened, had they gotten

close to those flowers.

Ranma inhaled and caught the faint scent of the fumes from behind the door.

"Don't worry. It smells like some kind of knockout gas or sleeping powder.

It wasn't anything lethal but I have a feeling that Kodachi planted it

there."

All three girls frowned and began thinking very dark thoughts about their

opponent. She wasn't even willing to meet them on the battlefield and was

already trying to knock them out of the running before the match even

started.

Ranma motioned for the girls to head toward a nearby restroom to change.

Outside of the gymnasium, Mousse trembled with anticipation, as he knew

that Shampoo was close by. Oh how he longed to feel her in his arms again

and express his love to his beautiful and proud warrior. It would make the

long and hard journey to Japan worth it. Though he had been denied the

chance to travel with Shampoo to study, Mousse still decided to follow his

beloved. Unfortunately, his near-sightedness made him prone to lose his way

and he had taken an unexpected trip through China before finally finding a

boat to Japan.

Now he was finally close to his love and nothing would stop him now!

That was when the sprinklers on the lawn behind him turned on.

"Quack!" Mousse found himself buried beneath his own robes and hidden

weapons as his Jusenkyo curse was activated. His thoughts turned dark as he

mentally blamed Ranma for his predicament. Though he did enjoy being able

to fly as a waterfowl, he had to avoid certain places where restaurants

specialized in duck dishes. Several times he had almost been turned into

someone else's meal. There were also duck hunters to watch out for. The

curse was an inconvenience that he could do without.

"Oh look! A duck!"

"He's cute!"

Before Mousse knew it, he found himself picked up by a girl as several

others crowded around him. It was then that a certain girl with her hair

tied in an offside ponytail took him in her hands and smiled wickedly.

"Hmmm, I know just what to do with you."

In the gymnasium, the crowds were getting impatient as they waited for the

tournament to begin. In the stands, Nabiki was conversing with her flunkies

on the overall betting pools. After learning from her mistakes on the last

time she placed odds against anyone from the Joketsuzoku, Nabiki had

instead set up pools on who would face off against Kodachi in the final

match. She had given even odds on Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume. Though her

lieutenants had suggested to taking pictures of the girls during the match,

Nabiki shook her head and vetoed the idea, remembering back to her

conversation with Ranma. If she wanted to get closer to him, she would have

to respect his wishes for the moment. Of course she winced at every time

she thought about the potential income she would have gotten with such

photos. The boys in the audience, especially from that pervert Kuno were

eager to see those girls in their form-fitting leotards. The insane

kendoist was already in the front row, waving around bouquets of flowers

and shouting out cheers of encouragement and love to his Amazon beauties.

Of course, he also tried to hit on Akane, which she hit back, with her

fist. Nabiki was totally disgusted at his blatant fickleness.

The audience became quiet as the announcer signaled the start of the

tournament.

"Welcome to the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament between

Furinkan High and St. Hebereke. Today promises to be an exciting event as

the opposing teams will face off in a no-holds barred fight. Unlike

previous tournaments held here at St. Hebereke, the challengers have not

forfeited before the match and this school's team now has a chance to

compete alongside their team leader, Kodachi 'the Black Rose' Kuno! This

will be a battle that we won't soon forget!"

The crowds let off a thunderous cheer as the applause was deafening. When

they calmed down, the announcer began introducing the challengers as the

spotlight turned onto them making their way toward the center ring.

"Introducing, from Furinkan High, all the way from China and substituting

for the regular team..."

Lilac darted up and did a triple reverse somersault in a layout position,

landing perfectly on one side of the ring. The boys gave out wolf whistles

and howls as the silver and gold leotard she wore with matching leg warmers

accented her slim figure. The design rode high on her hips, baring her

slender legs and made them seem even longer. She gracefully twirled a pair

of clubs in one hand and waved with the other. Her red hair was bound in a

long braid with a gold ribbon and she also wore a matching headband.

"Lilac..." The announcer introduced.

Shampoo was next as she also leapt to the ring in a lazy, half-pike twist

with a double-reverse spin. Landing on Lilac's right, she took out a ribbon

and twirled it gracefully around her. The boys in the crowds became

spellbound at her pink and white leotard that had a Yin/Yang symbol

embroidered in fine silk thread, above her left breast. Like Lilac's, her

clothes were very form fitting and seemed as if it was painted on. The wolf

whistles and howls became louder.

"Shampoo..."

Perfume made her entrance with a one-handed handspring and a quadruple

somersault. She made a hoop appear out of nowhere and lazily spun it around

her right wrist and held it above her after landing on the other side of

Lilac. She was wearing a light blue leotard with black highlights. The

design of the outfit revealed quite a bit of cleavage and made several of

the male spectators faint from massive nosebleeds.

"And Perfume of the Chinese Amazons!" The announcer said, then paused as

she was handed an additional sheet of paper. "Also, I would like to

introduce their coach and fellow Amazon... Ranma Saotome!"

Now it was the girls who got an eyeful as Ranma suddenly leapt up high and

did a quintuple somersault to land perfectly in front of his team. Bringing

out his staff, he twirled it around in graceful motions, making it seem

like a ballet, rather than a fighting kata.

The girls got one look at the handsome boy and his lean, muscular body and

caused a roaring cheer that threatened to bring the roof down. Ranma wore a

simple white T-shirt that showed off his well-developed physique and black

pants.

"Oooh!"

"Aaah!"

"Sweet!"

"I'm in love!"

"Mmmm..."

Several girls started hearing the phrase 'buns of steel' in their heads for

no apparent reason.

The crowd went on for a few minutes more, until the referee rang the bell,

signaling that the opposing team was about to enter.

"And now, here comes St. Hebereke's own gymnastics team. Their leader is

none other than the undefeated champion of Martial Arts Rhythmic

Gymnastics, Kodachi 'the Black Rose' Kuno!"

The girls of St. Hebereke were dressed in simple, yet functional navy blue

leotards and each took a position at the other side of the ring. They

counted nine in all. Trumpets began to sound as the spotlight swiveled

upwards to a figure descending toward the ring on a swing. The Furinkan

team groaned as they saw who was perched on that swing.

Kodachi Kuno was not dressed as her teammates. Her outfit was hardly

practical for gymnastics as she wore an elaborate wedding dress, complete

with ruffles, lace and veil. Fireworks were going off to herald her arrival

as she continued to descend. That was when the Furinkan team suddenly

sensed danger as one of the fireworks came shooting toward the girls. They

all reacted to their sixth senses and dodged the blast as the rocket

slammed into the mat.

When the smoke cleared, Kodachi lightly dismounted from her swing and took

an innocent look. "Oh my, however did that bomb get there?"

The three Amazon girls were giving her scowls while Ranma gave her a frown.

He did not find it at all amusing.

"Well folks, it seems that Kodachi is in fine spirits today as always. And

isn't she wearing beautiful outfit?" The announcer commented.

As Kodachi gave Ranma a lustful look, her mind was full of fantasies of

what she would do with him after she had dispatched those crude harridans

that stood behind him. She just wanted to skip the wedding and go straight

for the honeymoon. The vibes that Ranma received from her started to give

him the willies.

In the stands, Kuno was deep in thought.

If Kodachi wins, then Ranma Saotome becomes my stepbrother. Then again...

that would mean that the beautiful Akane and the three Amazons would become

mine by default! With that in mind, he cried out to his sibling, "Smite

them, my sister! For the first time in my life, I cheer for you!"

The referee signaled the gymnasts to go to their respective sides. Since

Furinkan only had three members, while St. Hebereke had more than twenty,

the tournament was to be a series of one-on-one elimination matches. Nine

members of St. Hebereke's team would battle against the Amazons, and

whoever was still standing would face off against Kodachi Kuno. If all

three Amazons made it past their opponents, then each would have a chance

at Kodachi.

The bell rang; signaling the start of the match as Shampoo was first up.

She faced off against a girl with long black hair and armed with a rubber

ball. Shampoo focused her mind at the task at hand as she held up two

clubs.

"And now, the first match of the day as Shampoo of Furinkan faces off

against Miyami Akagi of St. Hebereke!" The announcer said as she began her

play-by-play.

Miyami wasted no time as she charged at her opponent by throwing up her

ball, leaping up after it and spiking it down toward Shampoo.

"Akagi starts off with a viscous spike toward challenger Shampoo."

Shampoo executed a fancy backflip to avoid the ball, which was a good thing

as the sphere exploded with tremendous force when it hit the mat.

"Challenger Shampoo evades the bomb ball with a backflip and moves away to

get some fighting room!"

The purple-haired Amazon flipped back again, and rebounded off the ropes to

propel herself toward her antagonist, as she descended from her leap. As

Miyami touched down, Shampoo landed in front of her in a diving roll, then

went into a forward handspring. She went over her foe, did a

half-somersault, and brought both of her clubs down on Miyami's head.

WHAM!

Miyami went down like a sack of potatoes.

"An impressive move by Challenger Shampoo as she displays speed,

coordination and timing in knocking out her opponent! The first round goes

to Furinkan!"

Shampoo waved fondly to her cousin as the referee held up her other arm. On

the sidelines, Kodachi's eyes narrowed as she looked at Shampoo and the

others. *Hmmm, this may not be as easy as I thought it would be. Those

harridans may possess some considerable skills. However, that won't be able

to defeat me! Just wait until I unleash the few surprises that I have in

store for them! Ranma will be mine! *

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: Help! I've started writing and I can't stop!

* *: Thoughts

" ": Chinese language

Chapter 11

Part 2

And the Winner is...

Kasumi hummed to herself as she dusted the top of the dresser drawer of the

guestroom where Ranma's father was staying at the Tendo home. Though she

had developed a bit of disgust for the greedy friend of her father's, due

to her conversation with his son, she still had to maintain the proper

manners toward any guest in her home. She still could not believe that the

Tendo patriarch, despite the things that Genma had done to Ranma, held such

a man in high regard. Soun would go on and on about how his 'dear old

friend' had stuck by him through thick and thin during the training

sessions with the dread master. They would also go on about how the honor

of the families and the future of the Anything Goes would be assured after

they had gotten Ranma to marry Akane.

*Honor! Now there's the irony!* Kasumi had already confirmed for herself

that Genma had about as much honor as a tree stump (in other words, none at

all). After mentioning in a subtle way about the Daijkoku clan, she could

see it in his behavior that what Ranma had told her was the truth. *How

could any man have sold his only child for a fish, rice and pickles?* Then

the eldest daughter recalled everything else that Ranma had told her that

day at the coffee shop and shook her head in utter disbelief. As she saw

it, Genma had long since invalidated the promise he made to her family when

he started using his son as a bargaining chip. It was apparent that he was

only using his so-called vow of honor to Soun to take advantage of him.

Ever since he came here, that panda had eaten five times more food in a

week than the entire Tendo family could eat in a month. He didn't lift a

finger to help in the chores and just added to the messes that Kasumi had

to clean up. He played on Soun's gullibility and because of that, Kasumi's

father was blind to the truth that Genma was nothing more than a

freeloading glutton that was already putting a strain on the family

savings. Soun had not taught any students in years, and the only one who

used the dojo on a regular basis was Akane.

Nabiki had been the one to earn income for the family to survive on, but

even her somewhat... questionable business practices couldn't last forever.

Recently, she had gotten large sums of money for the Tendos, during the

time that Ranma had come to train his sister Amazons for the gymnastics

tournament, which they were now competing in at this very moment. The

eldest Tendo daughter wished she could attend the sporting event, but her

daily household duties left her little time for her to go out for anything

other than shopping.

Kasumi had suspected that Ranma had something to do with this much-needed

boost to the family savings. She smiled when she last spoke to the

sightless, but very handsome and mature-for-his-age fighter from China. She

remembered how happy she was when he accepted her apology for telling Akane

about his... condition. Having Ranma angry with her was something that she

wanted to avoid at all times. She raised a hand and ran her fingertips

across her face, remembering back to when Ranma touched her to 'see' her.

She then thought back to when he said that her looks matched the beauty of

her soul. Her cheeks reddened at the compliment. No one had ever said

something like that to her, but Ranma was quite open with his opinions and

wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Of course, he wasn't afraid to speak out

his opinions about Akane being a spoiled brat either.

Kasumi found herself lost in her thoughts about him and knew that she just

had to win back his trust and respect. He was everything that a girl could

want. He was strong, handsome, yet gentle and so... Kasumi couldn't put it

into words, but just thinking about him made her feel so warm and cuddly

inside. The problem was how to go about doing it. Though Ranma had forgiven

her, he was still very distrustful of the Tendos, and Kasumi couldn't blame

him. After all, her father and Genma had already attempted to kidnap him

twice, not to mention that fact that Akane had blurted out about his

blindness to the school.

*Just what where you thinking Akane? Didn't you realize that Ranma was very

sensitive about his condition? Why else did he not tell anyone about it?*

Kasumi sighed as she realized that she had no business in telling Akane or

Nabiki about it in the first place. Ranma would always remember that.

The eldest daughter sighted again as she continued with her dusting. It was

at that moment that she noticed that the top drawer was slightly ajar. She

caught sight of a brown book cover with a title written in Mandarin. Her

curiosity was piqued, as she did understand a bit of the language from her

days in high school.

"The Book of... Amazon Tribal Law?" Kasumi read out loud. Though she knew

that it was none of her business, she had to know what it was, so she

opened the drawer and took out the book. It was relatively thin, about

forty pages or so, but was well worn and had some dark stains on it. She

began leafing through the pages and saw that most of it was darkened by

brown splotches, making the writing on them nearly illegible. She could

only read bits and pieces of the text, but then came to the page that was

marked and a section was circled. Her hands trembled as she read the

Japanese translation of the law that was written above.

"In the event that a male member of the tribe is defeated by an outsider

female..."

At St. Hebereke...

"Incredible! Fans, we had just witnessed challenger Lilac use her ribbon to

hurl her opponent out of the ring!" The announcer exclaimed as the referee

held up the Amazon's arm up in triumph.

Ranma and the other members of Furinkan High's gymnastics team cheered, as

they became ever closer to winning the tournament. So far, each of the

girls had soundly trounced two of their three opponents before going up

against Kodachi in the finals. Shampoo had won her matches by knocking out

one of her adversaries with her clubs, then used a hoop to body slam the

other to the mat. Perfume had spiked her ball into the face of her first

foe. Since she hit with the force of a sledgehammer, the sphere went

shooting off like a cannonball, ending with a KO for Ranma's team. Her

second opponent she dispatched with a pair of battle staves that she

produced out of thin air. Fortunately, after reading the rules to Rhythmic

Gymnastics battle tactics, the use of such weapons was legal. Perfume's

opponent was struck several times in the legs as the lithe Amazon danced

around her in pirouettes and graceful skips. The poor girl from St.

Hebereke winced as her legs buckled beneath her, causing her to fall flat

on her face.

Lilac was by far the most dazzling when it came to acrobatics, being the

most agile of her generation, next to her coach, Ranma. With a series of

leaps, flips and midair twirls, her ribbon was like a bullwhip, and lashed

out in deadly strikes with each turn.

Lilac then went into a tight spin, and focused her ki into her ribbon.

"WHIPLASH REVOLUTION!"

Lilac's first opponent had her own ribbon sliced to... well, ribbons and

then had to forfeit when her skimpy costume was slashed to pieces. The girl

became flushed red with embarrassment, screamed, used her arms to cover

herself up as best she could and ran out of the ring in only her panties.

Wolf whistles and hoots were heard in the crowds from the boys as they

watched the girl rush away. Amazingly, Lilac had struck close enough only

to slice her opponent's leotard apart, leaving the skin untouched. As her

opponent retreated, Lilac stopped spinning and smiled. As she watched her

adversary streak away (so to speak), she turned to her coach and made a

series of graceful motions and then struck a sensuous pose. Though Ranma

couldn't see it, Lilac knew that he could sense the emotions being emanated

from her as she whispered to him in a sexy voice, "Call me Queen!" She

said it in Chinese in a low voice that only he could hear.

Ranma swallowed hard and felt the heat in his cheeks rise.

Lilac then turned to face off against her second opponent, and after a

minute, caused her to fly out of the ring after wrapping her up her feet

and put her into an airplane spin.

On the other side, the Black Rose frowned as she saw Lilac leap down from

the ring to give her beloved Ranma a hug. *Ooooooh! How dare that Chinese

hussy even think to embrace my Ranma-sama! HE'S MINE!* Kodachi Kuno then

glared at the audience after noticing that many of the female spectators

were also checking out the male Amazon with vivid interest. She turned her

attention back to the three beauties from China as they crowded around

their coach to plan for the semi-finals. *Hmmm, this is going to be harder

than I thought. It seems that those foreigners have considerable skills and

do not seem to be the least bit winded. Though I could easily take them out

myself, I would prefer to face only one of them, instead of all three.*

The insane sister Tatewaki motioned to the three girls who were going to

face off against Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume in the semi-finals. She then

began to whisper to them.

"But Captain! That..." One of the girls began after Kodachi had finished

explaining her strategy.

The Black Rose gave the girl a glare that brooked no argument. "Do it!"

On the sidelines, Tatewaki Kuno was transfixed at the sight of his beloved

Amazons in action and was in his own fantasyland of images of Shampoo,

Lilac and Perfume showering him with kisses and such. His lovesick gaze

then fell on Akane, who was sitting nearby and began adding her image to

the ones in his head.

*Ah, my warrior maidens! How I long for the day that you overcome your

shyness for your love for me. I swear that you shall free of the black

sorcery which the blind demon Saotome has enslaved you with! I, the great

Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High shall smite him with

heaven's righteous blade!*

Sitting near Akane, Nabiki winced after seeing Lilac take a sexy pose in

front of Ranma. She could have snapped a photo that Kuno would have shelled

out at least 200,000 yen for. There were other moments in the tournament

that would have also netted huge profits. The way Shampoo's cleavage was

shown as her bust jiggled during her high jumps. Perfume's leotard rode up

a bit more in the rear, whenever she did the splits. Lilac's legs seemed

impossibly long and slender in her high-cut outfit.

However, Ranma had made Nabiki swear an oath on the day before the

tournament. With great reluctance, she had sworn not to bring her camera

nor have her flunkies to take any photos of the girls during the

competition to sell to perverts, especially to Kuno. Ranma had already

helped her with several business transactions during the week and she had

made quite a hefty sum.

Nabiki had planned to have her flunkies take the shots during the match

from secret hiding places and using telephoto lenses, but then found out

that Ranma knew her far better than she thought and that his abilities made

it virtually impossible to deceive him.

Flashback...

"All right. I... promise that I won't take any pictures of Shampoo, Perfume

or Lilac during the match." Nabiki replied after getting a stern look from

the blind Amazon. In her head, she was thinking that it wasn't a big deal.

SHE had promised not to take any pictures. She had not promised not to have

anyone else take pictures. It was at that time that Ranma surprised her.

"And that includes your associates as well." Ranma added as his continued

to give Nabiki a stern look.

Nabiki's eyes widened. *What is he, psychic?* "Huh? W-What do you talking

about?"

Ranma's brow furrowed. "I mean, no pictures AT ALL, besides what might be

printed in the school newspaper. I mean it Nabiki. I didn't stop you from

taking pictures of the girls in dojo, just so you could make the same

mistakes during the match and sell them to hormonally crazed idiots like

Kuno. I WILL know if you break your promise to me. You've made more than

enough money during the last few days. I warn you not to be greedy. It's

not worth it."

Nabiki fought to maintain her Ice Queen fa ade, but found it extremely

difficult under the sightless glare the Unseen Light fighter was giving

her. Finally, after a long minute of silence, she swallowed her pride and

said, "All right. You have my word. No pictures."

Ranma used his enhanced senses to gauge Nabiki's sincerity and found it to

be satisfactory. He then added, "Oh, and I think it would be in your best

interests that you do not involve my cousin or her friends in any of your

future money-making schemes unless you ask them. As I have told you before,

they don't like being manipulated and they will take very SERIOUS action

against you. Trust me, the LAST thing you want is an angry Amazon after

you."

"I see." Nabiki nodded. After seeing how quickly they took to Martial Arts

Rhythmic Gymnastics and several demonstrations of their power and skills,

which by far outstripped her violent maniac of a sister Akane's, Nabiki

knew that Ranma was right in stopping her that first night in the dojo. The

money she would have made from those photos wouldn't have covered the cost

of her hospital stay. That is, if she survived the beating. Shampoo and her

friends were quite capable of dishing out massive bodily injuries and

Nabiki wasn't a martial artist. She doubted that she could have found

someone to protect her from them.

Ranma noted her slight fear and knew that she understood what he was

saying. He then gave her a small smile, which made Nabiki's heart skip a

beat. "You're a very intelligent girl, Nabiki Tendo. With brains like

yours, you can go very far. Just remember to think about the consequences

of your actions or they will come back to haunt you."

End of Flashback...

Nabiki looked over to where Ranma and the Amazons were gathered, as the

semi-finals of the tournament were about to begin.

Meanwhile, at Pepper's Place, the owner of the restaurant had returned to

reopen her establishment. She had wanted to stay to watch the rest of the

tournament, but had to come back to take inventory and order supplies.

Though she was confident that Lilac and the others would do well in the

competition and Cologne had assured her that she would keep an eye on

things.

As Pepper entered the building, she was surprised to see four familiar

faces waiting for her as she walked in.

"Jasmine! Honey! Silk! Satin! When did you get in?"

Ranma's Amazon mother smiled as she warmly embraced her friend. "Hello

Pepper. It is good to see you again."

Pepper returned the hug and invited the Amazons to sit with her at a nearby

booth. She then told a waitress to bring her guests a pot of green tea. As

they got comfortable, Jasmine began asking about her son, Ranma and when he

would return.

At the Tendo home...

Kasumi had been quiet for the last hour, doing nothing but stare at the

book she held in her hands. Soun and Genma had left some time ago, saying

they had some personal business to attend to. For once, since her mother

had died, Akane's older sister was being idle and was not concerned with

completing the household chores.

*So that's it. That's why Father and Mr. Saotome are so eager to get Akane

married with Ranma. It's because they think Akane is the only one who can

defeat Ranma. I... suppose it makes sense. Akane is the martial artist of

the family and Nabiki and I wouldn't stand a chance against someone of

Ranma's skills. But...*

Kasumi found herself disliking the idea of Ranma marrying someone else, and

even less when she thought about him getting engaged to Akane. Akane had

already proven that she was absolutely unsuitable and Nabiki, though she

was clever, was also not right for someone as kind and gentle as Ranma. So

that only left...

*But what can I do against him? I haven't practiced our family's art since

I was eleven. There is no way I could beat Amazon Wu Shu or shiatsu, let

alone that Unseen Light of his! How can I...?*

Kasumi was surprised at herself. Here she was, thinking of a way to get

herself engaged to Ranma. Where did this come up from? Wasn't he too young

for her? She preferred older men who were mature and refined.

But wasn't Ranma mature and thoughtful for his age? He was tall, handsome,

and very well formed. And though he came from a more primitive society,

didn't he show the proper manners? Also, he was the first man to have ever

complimented her and thought her beautiful, despite his inability to see.

He was even impressed by the way she had deduced that he was without sight.

And it had hurt her greatly when he became angry with her, but he had every

right to be, since she had blundered and told Akane and Nabiki of his

secret. Her heart had leapt for joy when he had forgiven her and gave her

the opportunity to make amends. Then her feelings went out to him even more

as she thought about how much he had suffered from both his father and from

those who did not understand him, or refused to do so. People like her

violent maniac of a sister, Akane.

Kasumi pondered it over some more as she attempted to rationalize why she

was feeling this way about the blind boy of the Joketsuzoku. At first she

thought it was a matter of honor, that the Saotome lines must be joined

with the Tendos, as it had been arranged by her father and Genma. *But

didn't Mr. Saotome invalidate his promise when he began engaging Ranma to

those other girls?* In that case, honor meant nothing and technically

speaking, neither herself nor her sisters were obligated to fulfill the

pact. Then she thought that it was just the motherly instinct within her

when she discovered that he was blind. However, she already witnessed that

Ranma was more than capable of taking care of himself. Perhaps it was out

of pity, but she had learned the hard way that Ranma neither wanted nor

deserved anyone's pity. The fact that he could cope with his blindness

without any seeming difficulties made her admire him all the more.

It was very unnerving the way he could detect the inner feelings and

thoughts of others, but at the same time it was also exciting. She knew

that his ability allowed for no pretense and she felt very comfortable

around someone who could understand her and make her feel warm inside. His

sensitive side was just as appealing as his strong will and determined

spirit. He was both the proud and powerful warrior, yet also the quiet

poet, healer and musician. When she had heard the recordings that Nabiki

had made of Ranma's flute, her heart melted like warm butter at the

melodies he played. His fluid grace of movement and creativity made him an

artist in both peace and combat.

Kasumi then came to a shocking conclusion. There was only one real reason

why she was so interested in Ranma.

She had fallen in love with him.

That one statement left her trembling and initially denying it, but then

she came to realize that it was true. Unlike Dr. Tofu, who couldn't even

stay sane for one minute when she was around, Ranma was open and had no

problems with expressing both his ideals and opinions. Though to others,

Kasumi seemed oblivious to the gibbering antics of Tofu Ono, Soun's first

child was quite aware of what was going on around her. She had thought that

Dr. Tofu would get over his habitual silliness whenever she was around, but

as time passed, she had realized that he would never be able to change. She

had been interested initially with Tofu, but was too shy to make any moves

and he could never say anything coherent to her. Her interest began to wane

and finally, she decided that they just were not meant to be. She had

resigned herself to becoming an old maid, but then felt something when she

met with Ranma in that coffee shop. Now new hope began to appear as Kasumi

found herself drawn toward the sightless warrior.

She nodded to herself. Yes, she had fallen for him. His innate charm and

inner strength had attracted her to him like iron filings to a magnet. She

could understand why those Amazons were so protective of him. If she were

in their shoes, she would not let any other female near him. But now that

she knew the reason behind her wanting to be engaged to him, the same

problem still remained. How was she going to get him?

She then reread the Kiss of Marriage Law and thought to herself. *Hmmm, the

law doesn't specifically state that he has to be beaten in physical combat,

just have to be defeated...* She started to contemplate how to go about

doing it. She then added to her thoughts a side note. *After I get him, I'm

going to throw that useless father of his out of the house! Ranma has

suffered enough and I shall NOT keep feeding that leech in our home!*

Back at St. Hebereke...

"FOUL!" Ranma cried out as Perfume and her opponent fell to the mat. During

the semi-finals Kodachi had instructed her team to try and knock the

competition out of the running by ANY means possible.

When Perfume faced off against her third opponent, the gymnast resorted to

an underhanded trick and had palmed a set of brass knuckles before entering

the ring. She tried a roundhouse punch to Perfume's face, but her adversary

saw the flash of metal and ducked the swing. She countered with a shot to

the girl's ribs with a club, but was so intent on her opponent that she

failed to notice what was happening behind her. Another member of the St.

Hebereke team poured a bit of oil onto the mat and then signaled to her

teammate. The girl who was fighting Perfume nodded and then started

swinging at Perfume, forcing her back toward the puddle of oil. Perfume's

enhanced danger sense went off as she stepped back and felt something oily

on her foot. She then twisted violently to avoid slipping up, but that was

when her adversary lashed out with a sweep of a leg. Perfume winced as she

felt pain shoot up her leg, but she managed to get back to her feet. She

then used her club to drive it into the other girl's gut and used it to

push her toward the oily spot. The girl lost her footing and in that

instant, Perfume charged and swung both clubs at her head.

WHAM!

With no traction, the girl was sent sailing over the ropes and out of the

ring. That was when the judges raised their red flags as Ranma bounded into

the ring to check on Perfume, who was kneeling and clutching her injured

leg.

"Sachi Youko is disqualified for an illegal foot sweep without using a

tool!"

Ranma shook his head as he examined Perfume's ankle. She had suffered a

sprain and had twisted the joint a little. Though she had won the match by

knocking her opponent out of the ring, despite the foul committed by her

opponent, Perfume was now out of the competition. The young healer applied

several anesthetic pressure points to the leg and set the foot back into

proper alignment. He then began making his medicinal supplies appear and in

thirty seconds, he had her leg expertly bound up and carrying her in her

arms. Despite having her in his arms, he easily hopped out of the ring in

one leap.

"Ooh! Very bad cheater! Perfume will.."

"Take it easy, Perfume. It's okay." Ranma said in a soothing voice as he

gently set her down on the bench. "You did good. Now it's time for you to

rest." He then turned to Cologne. "Please make sure Perfume keeps off that

foot for a while."

The elder nodded as she brought out a small cushion to support Perfume's

injured leg.

Over on the other side, Kodachi gave the remaining members of the Furinkan

High team a smug look. *One down, two to go!* She then licked her lips as

she gazed on the prize of this competition.

Ranma frowned at he picked up the amorous emotions he was getting from

Kuno's twisted sister. He shivered a bit at the intensity of those

emotions, but pushed them aside as Shampoo stepped into the ring.

Ranma's adopted cousin took a pose and then decided to fight with her

normal weapons. Since St. Heberke was now resorting to dirty tricks and

more dangerous tools, Shampoo felt that she was also allowed to do so. She

held up her arms and with a flick of her hands, made the regular clubs

disappear, to be replaced by the more massive bonbori that she favored.

The gymnast she was facing off gasped as stared at the war clubs. She

looked down at the flimsy ribbon she had in her hands and called out to the

judges. "Hey! She's not using the right clubs! Those aren't regulation

tools!"

Ranma then countered by holding up the rulebook. "Those bonbori are

basically clubs and as long as she doesn't hit with her hands or feet,

she's not breaking any rules."

The judges looked at each other and then shrugged. They allowed for that

last girl and her brass knuckles. They all raised a white flag and the head

judge said, "Use of bonbori is legal."

"EEEEP!" That was all the St. Hebereke gymnast could say before Shampoo

started swinging. Cologne beamed with pride as she watched her

great-granddaughter handle those massive war clubs as easily as if she

still had those regular clubs. In a dozen swings, the poor gymnast was

forced back toward the edge of the ring as she frantically dodged. Shampoo

was purposely missing and holding back, as she knew that hitting with full

strength would have pulverized the girl's skull. As of now, she was off

balance and it would only take a moderate nudge with Shampoo's weapons to

force her out of the ring. That was when Kodachi made a hand signal to one

of the members of the ST. Hebereke team who was closest to her comrade.

The girl then called out and tossed a large, rubber ball into the ring.

Shampoo's opponent saw it and slapped it toward the purple-haired girl. The

Amazon swung one of her clubs to deflect it, but as soon as it made

contact, it exploded into a cloud of black rose petals.

CLANK!

Shampoo felt something encircling her right wrist and looked down to see it

encased in a steel manacle with a chain attached. And attached to that

chain was...

"QUACK!"

Shampoo's eyes widened as she recognized the oversized glasses that the

waterfowl was wearing.

"AIYAH! MOUSSE?!"

"Mousse?" Ranma sensed his childhood rival's presence in the ring and

wondered what the heck he was doing here.

Cologne and the other Amazons were just as shocked to see the cursed Master

of Hidden Weapons in Japan.

"OH HO HO HO HO HO! How very careless of you." Kodachi remarked as she

watched Shampoo struggle to get free of her unwanted suitor, continually

beating Mousse down, every time he tried to fly up to embrace her.

Shampoo's opponent took this momentary distraction to attack her with her

ribbon. Ranma's cousin swerved to evade it then decided that while Mousse

was here, he might as well be useful. She dropped the club in her right

hand, swung the chain at her opponent and beaned her on the head with the

duck.

"Incredible!" The announcer exclaimed. "Despite being chained to a duck,

challenger Shampoo is turning this handicap to her advantage. How very

fortunate that ducks are legal as tools!"

Shampoo's adversary reeled from the blow and was stumbling toward the edge

of the ring. As the great-granddaughter of Cologne charged in to finish her

off, Mousse decided to interfere. During the time he had been stuffed into

that ball, he had overheard Kodachi and how Ranma would be forced to go out

with her if the Amazons lost the competition. Mousse had decided to

everything in his power to make certain that Shampoo and the others lost,

despite the fact that it pained him.

*Oh my darling Shampoo. Please forgive me!* As Shampoo closed in with her

remaining bonbori raised to shove the girl out of the ring, Mousse then

flew down and wrapped the chain around her ankles. Shampoo was thrown off

balance and stumbled forward, plowing into her opponent as she hit her with

her weapon. Both girls and duck tumbled out of the ring. As they landed,

they slammed into the girl that was scheduled to face off against Lilac,

knocking her out!

"Unbelievable!" The announcer gasped. "Due to a sudden mishap, both girls

have tumbled out of the ring and are therefore out of the tournament! And

it seems that the girl who was supposed to face off against challenger

Lilac will not be able to compete. Challenger Lilac has won her third match

by forfeit and will be facing off against Champion Kodachi, the Black Rose

Kuno! What an exciting tournament this has been!"

On the sidelines, Shampoo was stomping on a duck for causing her to lose

the match.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

"STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID MOUSSE!" Mousse was almost

flattened into duck paste when Cologne waved her prot g off, picked up the

battered waterfowl and brought him up to eye level.

"You will have a LOT of explaining to do when this is all over, Mousse."

Mousse was barely conscious to hear Cologne's words and was out like a

light a second later. Ranma took the opportunity to free his cousin's wrist

from the manacle with the Advanced Breaking Point, causing it to crumble

into powder.

There was five-minute intermission as the ring was being cleared for the

final match. In the crowds, Nabiki and her cronies were currently taking

bets on the outcome of the final match. Akane was watching the Amazons with

a bit of disdain and jealousy. During the entire tournament, the warrior

girls had displayed several forms of grace and agility, combined with

impressive hitting power, far beyond anything that Akane could have

achieved in a short time. Ranma had trained them well. She then gave off a

'hmpf' when she looked over and saw those Amazons fawning over that jerk

Ranma. She was still resentful that Ranma had turned down her request to

join the team and called her an amateur. She silently hoped that Kodachi

would win and Ranma would be forced to go out with her. Seeing him

miserable would make up for all those times he humiliated her and called

her a brat.

Five minutes later...

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is now time for the final match between

Challenger Lilac of Furinkan High and Champion Kodachi the Black Rose

Kuno!"

"Well, Lilac this is it." Ranma said as he and the other Amazons crowded

around her. "I know that you'll do us all proud." He then turned to Perfume

and Shampoo. "You've all done well and I'm glad that I was the one who

trained you."

"We glad you trained us too." Lilac said as she leaned forward and gave him

a kiss on his cheek.

"You best trainer we ask for." Perfume said as she reached up from the

bench and pulled Ranma down to plant a kiss on his other cheek.

"We couldn't have asked for a better instructor." Shampoo added as she

hugged her cousin and kissed him as well.

Cologne nodded as she said, "Ranma, you have proven yourself as a good

trainer for getting the girls this far. I knew that you could do the job."

She then addressed Lilac. "Now go, Lilac and bring victory to all of us."

"Yes, Elder Cologne!"

Lilac gave a curt bow and then somersaulted into the ring. She took out her

ribbon and began making graceful twirls with it.

"It seems that the challenger is ready to go!" The announcer proclaimed as

the crowds cheered her on. "And now here comes the champion!"

Kodachi also entered the ring with a graceful flip. She was dressed in a

black leotard with a rose imprinted on her left side in silver thread. She

took out a pair of clubs and faced off against her opponent. She smirked as

she gave off a light laugh. "So, we meet again Lilac of the Amazons. I do

hope that you'll put up a good fight this time." She said the last part

with sarcasm.

"What you talking about? You attack Lilac in her own bedroom!" Lilac

growled as she tensed up and readied herself for the attack.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kodachi said with mock innocence.

"I merely believe in fighting fair... before the tournament of course."

"Stop stupid talking and fight!" Lilac lashed out with her ribbon.

Kodachi easily dodged the strike and shrugged. "Very well. I prefer to get

this over with as quickly as possible so that I may be reunited with my

true love, Ranma Saotome!" Kodachi then struck out with her clubs at

Lilac's head.

"HE NOT YOURS!" Lilac retorted as she blocked the strike by making a club

appear in her free hand. She then made a twirling motion with her ribbon

and focused her ki into it. Snapping her weapon like a whip, she struck low

and snapped the ribbon at Kodachi's feet. The Black Rose had to use some

fancy footwork to evade the ribbon, which struck out like a cobra.

"Oh? And what would my darling Ranma see in a lowborn, barbaric hussy such

as you?" Kodachi teased as she flipped toward her opponent and struck out

with a club. As she thrust forward, she triggered a hidden switch and

spikes popped out from the front of the club. Lilac managed to tilt her

head enough to avoid being cut on those pointed ends.

Ranma frowned as he picked up the faint odor of some sedative coating the

spikes. He wanted to shout out that Kodachi was committing a foul, but she

was using legal tools. He shook his head. After reading the rules on this

sport, they should have called this Anything Goes Rhythmic Gymnastics.

"Watch those spikes Lilac, they're drugged!" Ranma called out.

Lilac barely acknowledged as she parried the spiked club with her own. She

then hopped back a few meters to get more elbow room. Kodachi smirked as

she called for a hoop from the sidelines. One of her teammates tossed it to

her. She caught it on her arm, spun it around a few times before launching

it at her opponent.

Lilac held up her club to block, but Ranma sensed that there was more to

that hoop than what it seemed.

"Don't catch it!"

Lilac's danger sense went off as the hoop streaked toward her. She ducked

as the projectile passed over her. Her club was still held up as she heard

a slicing sound. When she looked up, she saw that the head of her club had

been sliced off and was now lying in front of her on the mat.

"And there you have it folks!" The announcer declared. "Kodachi Kuno's

trademarked Razor Hoop!"

"OH HO HO HO HO HO!" Kodachi laughed as she sneered at Lilac. "Now do you

understand the folly of challenging one as great as I? How can you, a rank

amateur hope to defeat one such as myself, much less consider yourself

worthy of my darling Ranma? You wicked, wicked girl!"

"STOP STUPID TALKING!" Lilac retorted as she leapt high and lashed out with

a ki-powered ribbon strike. "RIBBON CUTTER!"

Kodachi was caught off guard as the ribbon actually cut into the mat like a

hot knife going through butter. She rolled to the right as the ribbon

sliced toward her and shredded the area where she was a moment ago. The

Black Rose retaliated, by producing on of her bomb balls, which exploded in

front of her opponent and then brought out a pair of clubs. Lilac had to

dive for safety and rolled to her right. She dropped her ribbon in favor

for her clubs.

"It seems that a lesson is in order." Kodachi declared as she took a pose

with arms held high. "And who better to teach it to a barbarian than the

rising star of the gymnastics world and the beautiful flower of St.

Hebereke? Now watch as I, Kodachi the Black Rose, demonstrate the Attack

of A THOUSAND CLUBS!"

Kodachi charged forward, and in an impressive display, began mimicking her

brother's rapid sword thrust attack with her two clubs. Lilac and Ranma

were not impressed however, as the red-haired girl easily dodged the

strikes. Like her blind comrade, Lilac was experienced with high-speed

attacks.

"Lilac!" Ranma tossed in a hoop.

Lilac saw the object and used her clubs to bat it into Kodachi's arms. The

hoop knocked into her and threw off her rhythm. Like her brother, once

Kodachi started a technique, she became committed to it. The clubs in her

hands fell to the ground, all twenty of them.

The announcer gasped. "Incredible! The champion's technique actually

allowed her to use twenty clubs simultaneously! However, Kodachi's Attack

of a Thousand Clubs was a bust!"

"My turn!" Lilac declared as she signaled to Ranma. The blind boy nodded

and began hurling things toward her at lightning fast speeds; his arm

movements were just a faint blur.

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN, REVISED! CLUB MACHINE GUN!"

Using her own clubs, Lilac also poured on the speed and redirected the

volley at her opponent.

Kodachi yelped as she saw the Amazon girl receive the ammunition from her

coach and fire off a rapid succession of clubs at her. She had to use every

ounce of her agility to dodge the clubs as they struck with considerable

force and velocity. Some of the projectiles imbedded themselves into the

turnbuckles, the mat and nicked the ropes of the ring. She rolled to where

her second was holding up a ribbon. She grasped it and began spinning it

around to deflect the barrage. After a minute, Ranma and Lilac stopped, as

they seemed to have run out of ammunition.

"Hah! All that effort for nothing!" Kodachi sneered as she lowered her

ribbon. "You are "

WHAM!

Apparently, Lilac had one club left.

The Black Rose now felt a bruise forming on her face and rubbed her nose.

"How dare you mark my face!" Kodachi leapt to the top of one of the corner

pylons and lashed out with her ribbon.

The announcer looked to her side and saw the ribbon wrap around the

signaling bell and pull it off the table.

"Oh my! Champion Kuno brings a bell into play!"

Lilac dodged the projectile then used her own ribbon to snag something.

"Oh no! Challenger Lilac has commandeered the announcer's table!"

Kodachi naturally countered by snagging something or someone to block.

"URK!"

"Champion Kuno counters with her brother!"

WHAM!

Hard table met up with hard head.

As the two dropped their makeshift weapons and an unconscious Kuno rolled

off the ring, the crowds began to cheer even more. Never had a gymnastics

battle lasted this long! The announcer was on the edge of her seat as she

kept on giving the play-by-play.

"Fans! This is incredible! Challenger Lilac had just attacked Champion Kuno

with a table! Kodachi had just blocked it with her brother! How very

fortunate that using her brother was legal! Oh no! Kodachi throws a few

more of her bomb balls! The challenger evades every one of them and is

counterattacking with a heavy mace that she pulled out of nowhere! Oooh,

the ring is going to need some serious repair after this match! Now look at

that! Their ribbons have become tangled and now a tug-of-war has begun! Uh

oh! Looks like the champion is losing ground as her opponent is pulling her

toward her, giving a fine display of Amazonian strength!"

In the crowds, Akane snorted in disgust. *She's not so tough! I could take

her!*

Kodachi dug in her heels, but it was apparent that she was not strong

enough to compete against Lilac's upper body strength. She then got the

surprise as Lilac flicked the end of her ribbon and caused a loop to travel

across the two weapons. The Black Rose found her right wrist now bound and

that was when Lilac heaved hard. Kodachi was sent flying upward.

"Oh no! Champion Kuno has been thrown out of the ring! Could this be the

end?" The announcer declared as she and the crowds watched the Black Rose's

trajectory.

However, Kuno's sister smirked as she put her fingers to her mouth and

whistled. That was when the entire ring moved to intercept her landing

point. The Black Rose did a neat flip and landed on the other side of the

ring. The sudden movement of the battle area almost knocked Lilac off her

feet.

"Unbelievable! The ring moved to catch the champion and prevented her from

losing the match!"

"HA HA HA HA!" Kodachi laughed as she faced off with Lilac again. "You

fool! I cannot be knocked out of the ring!"

Lilac wondered what was going on and so was everyone else. She let off a

small whistle to experiment, and the ring moved in the direction of Lilac's

position.

"Impossible! A mere whistle and the ring moves!" The announcer exclaimed.

*What's going on?* Ranma wondered as he extended his senses to the ring.

He then detected the presence of several females below the below the ring

and nodded. *So that's it. Kodachi's got several of her own teammates under

there, moving the ring at the sound of a whistle! With all the people here

and me being so busy concentrating on helping the girls, I didn't think to

scan the ring!* The Unseen Light fighter then realized what must be done.

He waved to Lilac, giving the secret hand signal to try to knock Kodachi

out of the ring again.

Lilac nodded, though she knew that the ring would move to catch the Kuno

girl again.

Kodachi gave off a scornful chuckle as Lilac charged at her, making her

tonfa appear.

"Well, it seems that it is time to end this and claim my prize!" Kodachi

then dodged the first of Lilac's strikes then reached into the front of her

leotard and pulled out something. She then hopped a few steps back and

pointed the object at Lilac and fired.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Lilac backed off, losing her grip on her

weapons and clutching at her burning, watery eyes. Kodachi had just let her

have it with pepper spray, effectively blinding her.

"And now, the coup de grace!" Kodachi then gestured to her second, who

threw out a hoop. Kodachi caught it and then launched it at her disabled

adversary. "RAZOR HOOP!"

"Lilac!" Ranma shouted out.

Lilac fought to clear her vision, but Kodachi had also added a hallucinogen

into the pepper spray mixture, which caused her to only see spots and

flashes as well as making her nauseous. However, Ranma had trained her

sixth sense well and as soon as she felt a tingle in the back of her head,

she ducked. The hoop was barely evaded and but one strap of her leotard was

sliced off.

"That was just lucky!" Kodachi said with disdain as she motioned her

teammate to start throwing in some clubs. The Black Rose then began target

practice.

Lilac was now relying solely on her danger sense as she stumbled and swayed

to avoid the clubs. She just barely managed to avoid being hit but everyone

knew that she couldn't hold out forever as she was being forced back toward

the edge of the ring.

On the sidelines, Cologne's eyes narrowed. "She can't dodge forever. Her

sixth sense is serving her well, but she's helpless! She's fighting

blind." Cologne then winced at the pun as she looked at Ranma. "Sorry about

that."

Ranma nodded as he called out to Lilac. "Lilac! Remember what I taught

you!"

Lilac nodded as she swerved to avoid another club. Concentrating hard on

her hearing, she began tuning out the roar of the crowds and the smell of

the pepper spray. She reached behind her and felt for the end of her long

braid. When she grasped it, she quickly undid the ribbon that held her hair

and then wrapped it about her eyes, creating a blindfold. She then focused

her sixth sense on the danger in front of her. When Kodachi launched

another pair of clubs, this time they were spiked, Lilac ducked them and

rolled forward. Using her sixth sense to judge which direction the attack

came from, she leapt up and made a second pair of tonfa appear. She then

did a flip and lashed out with her weapons, holding them by their long ends

with the handles extended.

Kodachi was caught off guard as her opponent flipped over her, and hooked

the ends of her weapons onto one arm, which was still extended, and used

the momentum of her flip to catapult the Black Rose back into the air

again!

*Now let us find out if you truly have a seventh sense!* Ranma made his

battle staff appear and tossed it to Lilac. "Catch!"

Lilac dropped her tonfa as soon as she landed and heard Ranma's voice. She

held out her arms and the staff landed in her arms. The girl felt with her

fingers and realized that Ranma had tossed his special staff to her.

Realizing in that instant of Ranma's plan, she then swung around to where

she had thrown Kodachi and concentrated.

Kodachi of course whistled to have the ring move to catch her, but Ranma

had expected that and then began focusing his ki. *I'll extend the staff

Lilac, but you'll have to AIM it!*

"Extend!"

VREET!

Just as the ring moved to catch Kodachi, Lilac pointed the staff up toward

the falling Black Rose and in that instant, the weapon suddenly elongated.

The end struck Kodachi in her stomach and drove her back more than fifty

feet! Kodachi was pushed far beyond the ring's range to catch her and

landed on her rear on the floor of the St. Hebereke gym.

There was a tense silence in the gym as the spectators stared at the

so-called undefeated champion lay in shock at what had happened. Ranma's

staff automatically reduced itself. Then the announcer took a beep breath.

"Champion Kuno has been knocked out of the ring! In accordance to the

rules we have a winner! Champion Kodachi the Black Rose Kuno has been

defeated by Lilac of the Joketsuzoku!"

The crowds began roaring and cheering as Lilac slumped to her knees in

relief. The staff dropped to one side. She then heard someone jumping into

the ring and rushing toward her. She felt herself being swept up in strong

arms and swung around in joy.

"YOU DID IT LILAC! YOU DID IT!"

Lilac felt a surge of joy of being in Ranma's arms and looped her own arms

around his neck. Her fellow Amazons also joined her into the ring as the

referee declared her winner.

A few minutes later, after Cologne and Ranma had flushed out Lilac's eyes

and enabled her to see again, the Amazons faced off against Kodachi at

ringside.

"Lilac of the Amazons " Kodachi began as she tried not to cry at losing.

"You have defeated me and as agreed, I shall forever abandon all present

affection I have for my darling Ranma " Kodachi began sobbing as she held

her face in her hands.

Though Ranma could read her feelings as genuine, he also sensed something

else. He had a sneaky suspicion that this wasn't over, but kept his peace

for the moment.

Sometime later

As Ranma and the Amazons were waiting for Pepper to come pick them up,

Cologne was privately discussing with the blind boy. Shampoo and the other

girls had decided to use the school's showers to clean up before going

home.

"I must say that I was impressed with the girls' performance today,

especially Lilac's" Cologne remarked as she and Ranma sat on a bench.

"Though I am curious as to how she managed to aim your staff in the right

direction to force Kodachi out of the ring."

"Well that's simple." Ranma said. "Lilac had developed an extremely crude

version of my seventh sense. Master Koga once told me about certain sighted

individuals who temporarily gain an enhanced version of their own proximity

sense of objects, especially in times of great stress. Koga called it a

kind of pseudo-seventh sense. It's nowhere near as refined as the seventh

sense at its most basic level, and it can't distinguish shape or size. She

could only determine direction and perhaps distance between herself and the

object she sensed. In this case, it was Kodachi."

"Really?" Cologne became very interested in this development.

Ranma held up a hand. "Now don't get ahead of yourself. Lilac only managed

to get the ability briefly, probably from the adrenaline and stress she

experienced. I scanned her afterwards and did not detect anything remotely

resembling my seventh sense. She probably won't ever gain that ability

again or the seventh sense unless she stops using her eyes. And I will not

deny her that."

"Still, she was impressive and I am very proud of her and the others. I am

also proud of the job you've done in training them. Perhaps this will make

those idiots on the Furikan High School Board realize that you are not

different, just because you cannot use your eyes."

"Maybe, but I have a feeling that I have a long way to go in convincing

everyone. Still, it's a start."

It was at that time that the three girls emerged from the girl's showers

and joined them in their civilian clothes. The group then went to where

Pepper was waiting for them in the parking lot. Just as they waved to her,

a bouquet of black roses suddenly dropped from above and landed in front of

them. Ranma winced as his senses picked up a familiar and unwelcome

presence.

Kodachi landed in front of the group while twirling her ribbon. She was

dressed in her school uniform and smiling amorously at Ranma.

"What do you want?" Shampoo snarled as she and her sister Amazons went into

battle stances.

"Calm down." Kodachi said in a mocking tone. "I'm only here to give my

regards to my beloved Ranma, that's all."

"Hey! Lilac win tournament! Crazy girl promised to leave Ranma alone!"

Though she was tired, the red-haired beauty was more than willing to pound

her rival into the pavement.

Kodachi shrugged as she said, "Yes I did promise to abandon all PRESENT

affection for him. However, I now burn with brand NEW love for your

handsome and shall we say, visually-challenged trainer."

Ranma winced, but said nothing. After it had been revealed that he was

blind after the match, more and more St. Hebereke girls had been coming up

to him and asking him out for dates. Most were starved for boys and the

fact that he was blind as well as good-looking and well built only made him

more endearing to them.

Kodachi then let loose a storm of black as she addressed Shampoo, Lilac and

Perfume. "Take care you barbarians, for I SHALL TAKE HIM FROM YOU! OH HO HO

HO HO HO HO!"

Kodachi then disappeared in the confusion, leaving the Amazons with a

sickening feeling as they headed toward Pepper's waiting minivan.

"Shampoo thinks that Kodachi is few arrows short of a full quiver!"

"She sick!" Lilac agreed.

"Who was that?" Pepper asked as she started up the vehicle.

"We'll tell you all about it later." Ranma replied.

"Quack! Quack!"

Ranma frowned as he turned to the back of the van, where Mousse was being

held in a cage. "Oh shut up, Mousse, or I'm going to make Peking Duck out

of you!"

Cologne also turned around and gave Mousse a glare. "If you know what's

best for you, then you WILL keep quiet!"

Mousse then shut up as the minivan drove back to Pepper's Place.

Ten minutes later

"Ranma, I have a surprise for you." Pepper said as she and the others

disembarked from the minivan in front of the restaurant.

"Oh? What is it ?" It was at that moment that he sensed a familiar ki

signature and scent. He turned around and then began running toward the

front door, just as Jasmine caught sight of her son and ran toward him.

"MOM!"

"RANMA!"

The two were quickly squeezing each other in a warm embrace as Ranma picked

up his Amazon mother and swung her around.

Meanwhile

"Are you sure? You've found him?"

"Yes, Mrs. Saotome." Ryo Saeba replied as he spoke to her on the phone.

"Amazingly, someone else had also hired me to find you on behalf on someone

named Ranma Saotome. I did some background checking and I believe that this

Ranma Saotome was indeed your son."

"That's wonderful!" Nodoka said. "When can I see him?"

"I believe I can arrange a meeting in couple of days."

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: Ranma and all the other characters mentioned in this

story belong to Takahashi, so go bother her.

* *: Thoughts

" ": Chinese language

Chapter 12

Reunion

"It's good to have you here, Mom." Ranma said as Jasmine and her

traveling companions entered the restaurant and sat down at a booth.

"It's good to see you again, my son." Jasmine said as she squeezed

Ranma before she, Honey, Silk and Satin sat down.

"So how has our favorite healer and warrior been doing in Japan,

hmm?" Honey asked as she playfully ran a finger up one of Ranma's

biceps as she snuggled in closer.

Ranma's senses immediately caught the hidden message and emotions

and he swallowed nervously. "Uh, I've been doing all right."

Shampoo, Perfume and Lilac all gave the voluptuous and very

forward Honey a bit of a glare. At the age of twenty-four, she was

eight years Ranma's senior. With a figure that was a cross between a

showgirl and a power-lifter's (a LOT of er, upper-body strength), the

blonde Amazon had more than her share of male admirers. In many

cases, the healer had patients who had inflicted injuries on

themselves, just to be treated by her. Honey could have her pick out

of the dozens of eligible males in the village, but what made the three

teenage girls so irritated was that she made no secret in her pursuit of

Ranma. She wasn't like Mousse, always throwing himself in front of

Shampoo in those pathetic overtures to win her. She was very subtle

in her persistent attempts to seduce the young Unseen Light fighter.

Unfortunately for her, Ranma's blindness made him immune to visual

stimulation, but that only made it more challenging, and Honey knew

of ways of... stimulating the other senses. There was just something

about his innocence that made him so charming. And it wasn't

uncommon for an Amazon to take a younger mate.

Ranma was considered among the cream of the crop of all the eligible

village males, despite his young age. Any girl who netted him would

bring much prestige and honor to her family. Koga had left quite a

legacy in Ranma when he passed on. In addition to the skills he had

learned under the blind master, the sightless Amazon had also

inherited sizable holdings as Koga's properties had been willed to

him. This included some very choice areas in Japan, (space was

always a valued commodity in the very crowded cities), a few

property titles in some of the other countries Koga had traveled to,

(including America), and most importantly, a gemstone mine hidden

in the Bayankala Mountains. Many of the Elders have been pushing

their heirs to snare him, though for the most part, the girls would

have taken him in any case.

Not wishing to be outdone by Honey, both Satin and Silk moved a

bit closer to where Ranma was sitting and started asking him about

his life after arriving in Japan. The sightless warrior nodded as he and

the others began relating the chain of events that started when they

first came to Furinkan High.

Meanwhile, at the Saotome family home...

"I cannot believe that the time is almost here! I shall finally see my

son!" Nodoka said as she clasped her hands together.

Ryo Saeba nodded as he handed her some paperwork. "It wasn't easy

since you didn't give me much information besides that picture of

your son when he was five. Your husband was hard to track down

since he was constantly on the move for the last decade."

Nodoka nodded. "Yes, my husband had taken my son on a training

trip to teach him the ways of the Anything Goes School of Martial

Arts. For the last ten years, I had been constantly receiving letters and

postcards, telling me that things were fine and that the training was

going well. Recently, I started to doubt those letters and that is why I

hired you to find my family."

"Yes, well I finally found your husband residing at some place called

the Tendo dojo." Ryo said as his expression went from casual to a bit

serious.

Nodoka nodded again. "Ah, I remember Genma telling me about it. It

belongs to an old training partner and good friend of his. His name

was... Soun Tendo I believe. So my son is there?"

Ryo took a deep breath. What he was going to tell the woman next

was most certainly going to alarm her, to say the least. "Mrs.

Saotome, I believe that you should sit down."

"But why? Shouldn't we be going to the Tendo dojo to fetch my

son?"

"Please, sit down."

Nodoka looked at Ryo strangely, then did as he asked as City Hunter

also took a seat. "What is it?"

"Mrs. Saotome, when I said that I found your husband at the Tendo

home, I meant ONLY your husband. Your son Ranma is not living at

the dojo. I'm afraid to say that you can't legally claim him as your son

any more."

"What?! What are your talking about? Of course he's my son!"

"I'm afraid not. You see, I did find your son as well as Genma, but

through different circumstances. I also found out some very...

disturbing information over what has happened to Ranma in the last

ten years."

"Excuse me, Mr. Saeba, but you're not making any sense!"

Ryo Saeba, AKA the City Hunter, was known to many as one of the

most perverted souls on Earth (he prefers to be called nookie-

dependent). He was second only to the Dread Master of the Anything

Goes. After meeting with Nodoka Saotome, he had been getting lewd

thoughts about her. She was in her mid to late thirties, but was still

quite attractive. However, she was already married, and besides, what

he was going to say was anything but pleasant. This was also

business, and when a gun was in his hand or he was conducting

detective work, he was always serious and kept a cool head. What he

had found out about Ranma was nothing short of shocking and he

knew that Nodoka wasn't going to take it very well.

"Mrs. Saotome, are you aware that Genma is wanted for several

hundred acts of petty thievery over the last ten years?"

"Well, no but I suppose that it was all for training Ranma in the

Anything Goes."

"Excuse me?"

Nodoka was bit embarrassed but nodded as she replied. "Well,

Genma did mention that he did something very similar while training

with his friend Soun some twenty years ago under their master

Happosai."

"Uh... right." Ryo started wondering if this woman had all her oars in

the water. "Well, it seems that he was also 'training' Ranma in the

same acts, and this upset a lot of people as well as the local police.

Thankfully though, those charges against Ranma had been dropped.

The charges against Genma still remain though, as well as several

additional charges, including animal cruelty and... child abuse."

"Child... abuse?" Nodoka began to pale when she heard this.

Ryo took another deep breath. "Remember those charges of petty

thievery I mentioned? When Ranma was six, your husband had stolen

a large number of cats, many of which were pets from several

neighbors. According to what the doctors and the police had

reported, Genma tried to teach his son a martial arts technique that

had been banned for over fifty years, due to its dangerous training

process and horrible side effects. Unfortunately, the police had

arrived too late to stop him and..."

"Wait a minute! Did you say doctors?" Nodoka shot up from her seat

and became extremely tense. "What happened to my son? Tell me!"

Ryo shook his head sadly and told her.

Outside of the Saotome home, people who were passing by were

startled when a piercing scream was heard and the house shook a bit

as Nodoka was told of her son's condition.

"My son is... blind?" The last was said in a whisper as Nodoka was

still reeling from the shock. She didn't register herself sitting back

down as she looked at the City Hunter with absolute disbelief.

Ryo sighed and nodded. "The cats had damaged your son's optic

nerves and the doctors had no way of repairing them. Eye

transplantation was also out of the question, due to your son's rare

blood type. They did however, got rid of most of the facial scars with

some cosmetic surgery, but I'm afraid that Ranma is permanently

sightless."

"My... son." Genma's spouse was in a state of absolute shock as the

information sank in. When her husband had taken Ranma away, he

had promised to make him a 'man among men.' She had the contract

to prove it, signed by Genma with Ranma's handprint. Now, her son

was no longer considered a full man. How could any boy become a

man when he could not even see and must depend on others to

survive? Both Genma and Ranma had technically failed in their duty

and now...

Nodoka took a deep breath as she steeled herself for the inevitable

meeting between herself and her disabled child. "You told me that

you had found my son and that he wasn't with his father any more. So

where is he?"

Ryo nodded as he replied. "That is another matter that you need to be

aware of. Remember when I told you that you can no longer call him

your son? Well, that's because Genma lost all legal claims on him

when he took him to China."

"China?"

"Yes. You see, the local police were still after him for throwing

Ranma into that pit of cats, and they most certainly wouldn't have

given the boy back to him. He kidnapped Ranma out of the hospital's

ICU and for two years, dragged him all over Japan, and then to China

to escape the law. By that time, Ranma's condition had worsened and

he would have perished by the time he was nine. It seemed that his

father continued to abuse and beat Ranma while doing nothing for

his blindness. It was a lucky thing that a healer from an Amazon

village came across Genma and rescued the boy from him."

"Amazon village?"

Ryo Saeba explained. "There are some small, very remote tribal

villages that are female-dominated in Asia." *My kind of place. *

Ryo added silently. "They are descended from those warrior women

of Greek legend and some had migrated to China. I had to do some

extensive research. They're not too well known and what is known

about them is mostly myths and legends. The healer that had saved

Ranma came from a village called Nieucheizu, located in the

Bayankala Mountain ranges in the Quing Hai province. Ranma had

been residing with them for the last eight years and he's only recently

returned to Japan on a student visa."

"So how did you find him?" Nodoka asked.

Ryo gave a Nodoka a shrug and smiled. "Actually he found me, or

rather an acquaintance of his found me. One of the village elders, a

woman named Cologne, had substantial holdings and contacts in

Japan. She was the one who told me about what Ranma had been

doing, since he was separated from his father. She used her contacts

to find me when Ranma had decided to look for his real mother,

namely you. From there, it was relatively simple to connect his search

with yours and the rest fell into place." The City Hunter's smile

became a bit more pronounced. Usually, in his line of work, a search

for someone involved a major shootout and several people after his

head. This case had been surprisingly easy and was a pleasant change

of pace.

"So my son is here in Japan with these... Amazons?"

"Yes, he is attending school at Furinkan High in the Nerima District

and is staying at an establishment called Pepper's Place."

"Well then, let us go get my son and..."

"Hold on a moment, Mrs. Saotome. As I said before, it's not that easy.

For one thing, he's not your son any more. Legally speaking, he's now

the son of the woman who saved him."

"What?! That's absurd! I'M his mother!"

"Not according to what Cologne had shown me. I've checked and

double-checked the paperwork, and it's all legal. Ranma was rescued

by an Amazon healer named Jasmine. The boy was nursed back to

health, but he didn't remember where he used to live, nor did he know

if you were still alive. He left his home at age five, so I would think

that he'd barely remember you. With no records to be found and

Genma running from the law, the boy was marked as an orphan.

Cologne had used her connections to take care of all the details,

including the adoption papers. Ranma is now a member of the

Nieucheizu and a citizen of the Republic of China with a special

foreign visa."

"No records were found?"

Ryo was a bit embarrassed to tell Nodoka of the reason. "Well, a

little more investigation indicated that his records were... misfiled."

"MISFILED?!" Nodoka gasped. "I've been separated from my son for

more than ten years due to a clerical error?!"

"It happens." City Hunter said sheepishly. "I've seen worse cases. In

any bureaucracy, information can get lost in the system by accident."

*Though I have a feeling that Ranma's file may have been

deliberately kept from certain people for his own sake. With Genma

as his father, I can understand.* Ryo turned his attention back to

Nodoka. "However, the fact remains that Ranma is no longer your

son. He's still using the Saotome name, but ONLY for sentimental

reasons, as I was told by Cologne. Legally speaking, he is a member

of Jasmine's family now."

Nodoka was shocked beyond words. After ten long years, she had

finally found her son, only to learn that she could no longer call

herself his mother. Finding out that her child was handicapped was

shocking enough, but now it was more of a shock to learn that she

had no son. She got up, walked toward a small lamp table and

opened up a drawer. She then took out a sheet of paper that had not

seen the light of day in more than ten years. She looked down at the

yellowed page and silently read the words of the Seppuku Pledge that

her husband had signed with Ranma's handprint. Tears began to form

in her eyes as she stared at the small impression five-year-old Ranma

had made when he and her husband had left a decade ago.

"Mrs. Saotome? May I ask you what that is?"

Nodoka turned around and saw the detective standing behind her.

She quickly wiped away her tears and looked back down at the page

in her hand. She then took a deep breath and replied. "It was a

contract that my husband and my son had signed before they left ten

years ago."

"May I see it?"

Nodoka paused for a long while, saying nothing before she finally

nodded and handed him the document.

Ryo scanned the Seppuku pledge and frowned as he handed it back

to her. "Mrs. Saotome, I would advise you to get rid of this before

you meet up with Ranma tomorrow."

"What? But you don't really think that I would actually go through

with this and..."

"It does not matter what you believe." Ryo said while shaking his

head. "If Ranma were to know of this, it's very likely that he would

reject you on the spot and head straight back to China and STAY

there."

"He would choose that other woman over his real mother?" Nodoka

became pale again.

"Please understand Mrs. Saotome." Ryo said with a soothing tone.

"The Amazon Jasmine had raised Ranma since he was eight. He

barely remembers you and isn't likely going to accept you, at least not

initially. This document WILL NOT help. From what I see, it's not

even legal. This isn't a signature, it's a child's finger-painting. Ranma

couldn't have possibly have known what he was signing when he was

five."

"But it was signed with my husband's supervision and..."

"Forgive me for saying this, but with your husband's past record, I

seriously doubt that would hold up in court. As the Americans say it,

Genma's promise isn't worth the paper he signed on."

"Are you certain? Japanese law is rather strict on these matters."

"True." Ryo allowed. "However, keep in mind that the Amazon

Jasmine is his legal mother now, and it's a sure bet that if Ranma gets

wind of this, he'll certainly not want anything to do with you or the

Saotome name ever again. Furthermore, he is considered a citizen of

China now and the government certainly won't find this death

contract as valid. Please Mrs. Saotome, get rid of it."

"But, I didn't really intend to make Ranma or Genma go through with

it. It was simply to keep my husband on his best behavior and..."

"And did it do the trick?" Ryo asked as he gave Nodoka a penetrating

stare.

Ranma's mother paused then sighed as she shook her head.

"I thought so. Now you must decide. Which is more important? The

chance of seeing your son again, or a sheet of paper that was signed

by that (forgive me again), piece of worthless trash that you married?"

Ryo found himself a bit surprised at himself for openly referring to

Nodoka's husband as such, but after finding out about Genma, he

could feel nothing but disgust for the man. How could any father

treat his only child like that? Ryo Saeba was no saint, but he would

have never put an innocent boy through such horrible experiences.

The detective had yet to tell her of the other offenses that Genma had

committed which involved their son. Specifically the fact that Ranma

had more than a dozen fianc es that had been arranged by his idiot

father. Ryo STILL couldn't believe that Genma had actually promised

his son to a girl for a bowl of rice, a fish and two pickles. Ryo shook

his head and decided to fill Nodoka in on the rest of Genma's crimes

tomorrow. She's had enough shocking revelations for one day.

Nodoka took a deep breath, then nodded as she held up the document

and began tearing it up into little pieces.

After depositing the remains into a nearby wastebasket, she turned

back to the detective. "What is Ranma like? Have you seen him

already?"

"I haven't met with him yet, but from what Cologne had told me, he's

grown up to be a fine young man with nearly all of the unmarried

village girls after him. He's considered to be a very capable martial

artist and a promising healer as well. Cologne told me that more than

fifty girls have already petitioned Jasmine for permission to challenge

Ranma for the right to marry him."

"Excuse me? Challenge him for marriage?"

Ryo chuckled a bit as he replied. "It's an ancient courting ritual of the

Amazons. Cologne had told me during the time she contacted me. In

the village, Ranma had attracted a sizable group of suitors, ranging

between the ages of 15 to 24. *Talk about lucky!*

Nodoka brightened up at this news. With so many admirers, Ranma

certainly could be referred to as 'manly.' With only Genma as a model

for her definition of being a 'man among men,' her perceptions were

somewhat skewed. To her, manliness included peeping and some

other lewd acts, but with Ranma blind, she had despaired that he

would not live up to those standards. However, with so many girls

considering him as prime husband material, all was not quite lost.

Still, she had to see for herself and get to know her son again before

making her final judgment. She also wanted to meet with this woman

who now held the title of Ranma's mother... the Amazon named

Jasmine.

Ryo nodded to her as he got up. "Well, the meeting is scheduled for

tomorrow afternoon at Pepper's Place. I'll come by to take you there

and also give you more information that you should know about

Ranma and the Amazons. Oh, and one last thing before I go..."

"Yes?"

"This will only be the first of many visits and even if he does come to

like you, he may still choose to stay with his current family for other

reasons. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good evening to you Mrs. Saotome."

After Ryo had departed, Genma's wife was left alone with her

thoughts as she went over what the City Hunter had told her.

Whatever happened tomorrow, it was certainly going to be a day that

she nor Ranma would ever forget.

Back at Pepper's Place...

"Why that's WONDERFUL! So you won the tournament?" Silk

clapped her hands after Ranma had finished telling the visiting

Amazons of their victory at St. Hebereke.

"Lilac beat up Kodachi real good!" The red-haired teenager said with

pride. "She try playing dirty tricks, but Lilac still win, thanks to

Ranma!"

"You all did well." The blind boy said with a smile. "I'd say that any

one of you could have beaten Kodachi if she hadn't resorted to foul

play."

"Yes, and Ranma show everyone that it no matter that Ranma is

different." Perfume said. She avoided saying the word 'blind' as she

and the others knew how sensitive he was about his condition.

Ranma had fought long and hard to be accepted in the tribe and he

had a right to be proud of his accomplishments.

Ranma sighed a bit as he shook his head. "Let's not get ahead of

ourselves. This was only the first step. I have a feeling that it's going

to take a lot more than just winning the tournament to convince

everyone."

"Still, it's a good start." Shampoo said to assure him. "Though, it

wouldn't have been necessary if that stupid Tendo girl had kept her

big mouth shut. Stupid Akane."

Ranma took a long, sad sigh. When his cousin had said 'stupid Tendo

girl,' he had started thinking about Kasumi, not her younger sister. Of

course, he had forgiven the eldest Tendo for her faux pas, but it was

still a very sensitive subject. "Now, now. What's done is done. I

suppose that it was bound to come out sooner or later."

"Now, let's not be all gloomy." Cologne said in a cheerful voice,

trying to change the subject. "Today is a time for celebration! The

girls have won a great victory and we have our sister Amazons

visiting us."

"Yes, I agree!" Pepper concurred. "Though, I'm afraid that you're

going to have to celebrate without me for a while. I'm afraid that I

have several delivery orders to take care of."

Though Ranma was glad that his Amazon mother was here and that

the Rhythmic Gymnastics tournament had been won, (though that

still didn't get Kodachi to abandon her obsession over him), Koga's

disciple wasn't in the celebrating mood. He was a bit uneasy during

the trip back to the restaurant as Cologne had informed him of a

special event that was occurring tomorrow. The detective that she had

hired had found his real mother. He had even provided her with a

name: Nodoka Saotome.

*Nodoka Saotome.* Ranma thought as that name echoed in his mind.

After more than a decade of separation and wondering what she was

like, he was finally going to meet up with her. His oldest memories

were of very blurry images of some kind-hearted woman who was

holding a laughing five-year-old boy for a photograph. But, ever

since he had been condemned to live out the remainder of his life in

total darkness, those memories of his childhood had degraded into

almost unrecognizable blobs and pushed back toward the deep

recesses of his mind. He had been tense, since he had been informed

that a meeting was set up for tomorrow afternoon. What was this

Nodoka like? What kind of person was she to have left him in the

care of that scum Genma? Had she been aware of his father's

unscrupulous, dishonorable and thieving ways when she allowed him

to take their son away from home to be trained in the Anything Goes?

Was she like that panda; willing to put her only child through torture

and torment to serve her own interests? And what would her reaction

be when she found out that her son was blind?

There were just too many 'what ifs' for the Unseen Light fighter to

handle at the moment, and this was putting a damper on the joy of

being reunited with the woman who had been his mother for over

eight years. He needed some time to think and decided that some

fresh air would be good for him.

"Pepper? If you don't mind, I'd happy to make those deliveries for you

while you help Mom and the others get settled in."

"Oh no! I can handle it. Besides, I'm certain that you and Jasmine had

much to catch up on and I won't deprive you of..."

"Please... I insist." Ranma said in a more forceful tone. "My mother

will still be here and I promise that I won't be gone long."

"Well..." Pepper was about to decline Ranma's offer, but then saw the

determined look in his face. Though she had only known him for a

short while, she knew that when Ranma was like this, he was very

hard to deny. She looked back at Cologne, who also gave the boy a

thoughtful look before nodding.

"I suppose that it wouldn't hurt. Ranma already knows the entire

layout of Tokyo, and you are a bit short-handed here at the moment."

"But..." Jasmine began to protest, but the elder held up a hand.

"You and Ranma will have plenty of time to be together later. After

all, you're not heading back to China any time soon, right? Besides...

there are a few important things that I must discuss with you,

Jasmine."

The healer was about to protest further, but then decided not to press

the issue. If Cologne had something important to discuss with her,

then she could wait a little longer before spending some quality time

with her adopted child.

Some time later after Ranma had left...

"Now you understand why Ranma needed to go out for a while."

Cologne said as she finished with her explanations. Both were sitting

at a booth, sipping tea. Upstairs, Honey, Silk and Satin were getting

settled in their rooms as the other Amazons were helping them with

their luggage.

"I see." Jasmine said after Cologne had told her about the meeting

that was to take place tomorrow. "So... you have found his... real

mother, this... Nodoka Saotome." Her tone was slightly choked at

that last bit.

"Yes. And with all the other things that had been happening to him

since he came to Japan, I can understand how torn inside he is right

now. Especially with his idiotic father trying to force him into

fulfilling that pledge to the Tendo family, and with the school board

considering about transferring him to a school for the blind."

"You know that he will not stand for either." Jasmine said as she

gazed out at the front window panes, watching the sun as it began to

dip toward the horizon. "It took a lot of doing for me to convince him

that he should learn to read Braille, when his fingertips allow him to

read printed material just fine. Imagine how he would feel if he were

put into such a place. And I know that he would never fulfill ANY of

Genma's promises."

"I know how much he hates to be pitied and he certainly doesn't

deserve any. However, so many people can be so narrow-minded.

And I certainly agree that any promise that idiotic father of his had

made is something to be avoided. Still, the events that have happened

to him may have caused Ranma to be unsure of his identity right now

and his place in the world."

"What do you mean? He is MY son and the heir to the Unseen Light

Martial Arts. He is also a great warrior and healer of our village.

What could be more clear than that?"

"You know that and I know that, but Ranma isn't as sure as he was

when he left the village. He isn't as well-traveled as Koga was and

he's just now encountering some very harsh realities about the world.

There will be disbelievers and those that will pity him, no matter

what. Now that's something that Ranma can't defeat with his battle

skills. Furthermore, he's about to meet up with the woman who is his

biological mother and he's afraid that she might be just like Genma or

worse. She might even reject him because of his blindness."

Jasmine snorted. "Hmpf! If she rejects just because of that, then she'd

be even more blind than Ranma!"

The three-hundred-old matriarch gave the healer a disapproving look,

which Jasmine softened up.

"I'm sorry Elder. I suppose that I'm... afraid that Ranma might prefer

her over me and... I'm a little ashamed to admit that..." Jasmine's voice

trailed off.

"That you're afraid that she might take him away from you, and you

were hoping that the meeting wouldn't go well, and that Nodoka

would reject him, correct?" Cologne finished.

Jasmine gave out a long sigh and nodded. "You know that I would do

anything to ensure Ranma's happiness and..."

Cologne held up a hand. "I understand Jasmine. It is very difficult for

a mother to let go, even though he is not your natural born son."

"As I had told you when I brought Ranma to our village all those

years ago, I didn't care that he was not my child. Ranma was like a

gift from the kami, and I was determined to not lose him as I had

with... Thorn."

Cologne nodded sympathetically as she remembered how distraught

Jasmine was when she had lost her only child. She had also noted

over the years of how attached the healer had become to Ranma and

seen how happy Jasmine was that her home was no longer empty.

Still, Nodoka WAS Ranma's natural mother and this was what the

boy had been waiting for all these years. Though the blind Amazon

had done well since he had become a member of the Nieuchiezu, he

had always had a certain feeling of incompleteness. It always seemed

as if something was missing from his life and he thought that by

checking into his past, he could find what it was. However, asking

Genma about it was out of the question so that left his real mother.

Furthermore, though Ranma was legally Jasmine's son, it wasn't right

for him to be kept from the woman who had given birth to him. Ask

any female in the village and they all took motherhood very seriously.

However, who really HAD the right to call Ranma as her own? The

woman who had given birth to him and raised him for the first five

years of his life, then left him in the care of Genma, or the woman

who had saved him and raised him for eight years?

Cologne knew that this was going to be a very delicate matter when

Jasmine met up with Nodoka. She sighed and then decided to leave

Jasmine alone with her thoughts for a while as the aged Amazon went

off to deal with another matter, which concerned a myopic Master of

Hidden Weapons. Mousse was still a duck and quacking in his cage

in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, hopping across the rooftops, Ranma had completed the

last of his deliveries and was deep in thought about the imminent

reunion with his real mother. What was she going to be like? How

was she going to react to him? Would she reject him outright because

of his blindness. Is she like Genma or was she even aware of the

crimes that panda had committed over the last decade? Then there

was the fact that Jasmine was here. He was very happy to have his

Amazon mother here, but how would she react when she met face to

face with Nodoka? Though Ranma knew that Jasmine was a gentle

soul and wouldn't do anything... extreme, she WAS an Amazon and

was very protective of her adopted son. If things went bad, then...

Ranma sighed again. Tomorrow's meeting was going to be a very

touchy subject.

It was then that Ranma's sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of

gunshots in the distance. The Unseen Light fighter decided to

investigate and began racing toward the disturbance while taking out

his battle staff.

Down below in the streets, the City Hunter was fighting for his life.

On his way back to his office, he had run into a few old

acquaintances who had very bad memories of him. Specifically, they

were a group of hoods that he had sent to prison two years ago.

Ryo had been ambushed by the hoodlums and was now crouching

behind a car as a hail of bullets riddled the automobile with holes,

shattering windows and puncturing the tires. Ryo took out his

weapon and began returning fire, but his attackers had him

outnumbered five to one and were armed with automatic machine

guns. When one of his foes stopped to change magazines, the City

Hunter made dash toward a nearby alley and fired off a round, taking

out one of his attackers as the slug slammed into his chest and sent

him back. However, as he took cover behind a steel trash dumpster,

the remainder of the hoods opened up, keeping him pinned behind it.

Things looked pretty bleak for the detective as he saw no way out.

Unfortunately, the alley was a dead end and the entrance was blocked

off.

It was then that something... someone leapt down from above and

screamed out an Amazon war cry.

The hoods didn't know what hit them as a young teenager suddenly

landed behind them and with one swing of his staff, knocked them

off their feet. As two of the attackers were temporarily dazed, the

other two got back to their feet and aimed their weapons at the

interlopers. However, before they could squeeze the triggers, the boy

aimed one end of his weapon and focused his ki.

"Extend."

VREEET!

The staff instantly elongated and slammed its end into one of the

attackers in the solar plexus, driving him back into the alley. Ryo

Saeba had to duck for cover as the man was sent hurtling back to be

hammered into the end of the alleyway, fifty feet away. The attacker

slumped down on his face unconscious after the staff reduced in

length. The City Hunter then turned to see a 16-year-old take on the

three remaining gunmen.

The next hood Ranma faced off got over his surprise and pointed his

weapon at the Amazon. However, he was a fraction of a second too

slow as the Unseen Light fighter blurred forward and knocked the

gun out of his hands, then followed through by jumping up and

hovered for a long moment in the air before delivering with a snap

kick to the face. However, as he went down, the last two gunmen got

back up and aimed for Ranma's back. Ranma's ears twitched a bit as

he caught the sound of mechanisms clicking at the same time that his

sixth and seventh senses were giving him advance warning. His

nostrils flared a little at the scents of his attackers.

"Look..." Ryo shouted out, but Ranma was already way ahead of him

and just as the hoods opened fire, the blind fighter reacted.

Ranma leaped high to dodge the barrage of bullets, and did a neat

flip to land behind the criminals. Before they could turn around, they

were knocked forward with another swipe from his staff. They went

tumbling into the alley as their machine guns clattered to the ground.

Ranma laid his staff against a wall and picked up the weapons. As

the hoods shook their heads to clear them, they looked up and saw a

very intimidating sight.

Ranma was quite familiar with firearms since his village had been

having a few skirmishes with the soldiers of the People's Army of

China. Without diverting his attention on the thugs, he deftly

stripped the magazines and tossed them away. He held up both

weapons and gave the hoods a demonstration of his Amazonian

strength and skills. His hands began to squeeze and the iron grip

began to make the metal bend and the plastics snap. He slammed the

two weapons together and began crumpling up the guns as if he was

crushing yesterday's newspaper. In less than ten seconds, he had a

fair-sized ball of metal and plastic in his hands. He then focused his

ki and applied the Advanced Breaking Point, reducing the sphere

into dust.

Ranma casually picked up his staff and slung it over his shoulder.

"You know, I really hate guns. They're so noisy."

The two remaining hoods trembled after seeing such a display and

began scrambling away.

"H-H-He's some kind of monster!"

"I'm outta here!"

The two criminals tried to make a break for it, but they didn't get far

as the Unseen Light martial artist rushed forward and with two deft

raps of his staff, knocked them out. After using his senses to assess

that they were unconscious, he then turned to the City Hunter, who

was still gazing at him with awe.

"Are you all right?" Ranma asked as he extended a hand.

Ryo stepped out from behind the dumpster and nodded as he

holstered his gun and held out his own hand. He firmly grasped

Ranma's hand and shook it. "Thanks. That was amazing! I really

appreciate the help that you gave me. That was quite a tight spot that

you got me out of."

"You're welcome." Ranma replied as he turned to leave. "Will you be

able to handle them now?" He gestured to the fallen criminals.

Ryo nodded. "Yeah, I'll call in the police and have them pick up these

losers."

"Hmm, well I would say that gunman you shot is going to feel those

bruises on his chest. That bulletproof vest he was wearing protected

him, but he's going to be pretty sore tomorrow."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ryo asked as he looked to one he had

shot.

Ranma shrugged as he turned his head toward the body while making

his staff shrink. "I don't see any blood so I would say that your bullet

didn't get through, right? Look, there's your bullet." He pointed to a

small lead object lying beside the hood. Ranma then silently added,

*Actually, I don't SMELL any blood, and I can detect the deflected

bullet nearby. I can still sense his life signs, so I know he's not dead.*

Ryo walked over to the thug, crouched down and examined the chest

of the man. Sure enough, a hole in his shirt revealed that he was

wearing some Kevlar body armor and that the bullet had dropped off

to one side after impact. Apparently, the thug had been driven back

from the shot and was knocked out when his head hit the pavement.

Ryo stood up and faced Ranma again. "I must admit, you're very...

observant."

Ranma shrugged as he prepared to leave. "Well, I try to take in as

much information as I can. Well, if you don't need any more help,

then I guess I'll be going and..."

"Hold on a moment! I still have to thank you for saving my life and I

won't take no for an answer! How about I treat you to cup of coffee or

maybe some tea?"

"Well, I really don't think that..."

"Nonsense! It's the least I could do!" Ryo said as he gently led Ranma

toward a certain caf .

A few minutes later...

"Falcon! I'll have a cup of coffee and my friend here would like...?"

Ryo turned to the boy sitting beside him.

"Uh, would you have any good Earl Grey or Oolong Tea?" Ranma

asked, though he could smell all the blends that Falcon kept

underneath the counter.

"No problem!" The large man said as he began brewing.

After being served their orders, Ryo took a sip of coffee and studied

the teen sitting beside him as he quietly drank his tea. He noted that

Ranma's nostrils were flaring a bit, more so than a normal person

would if taking a whiff of tea. He also made an observation about the

boy's eyes. The pupils were not focusing on anything. He began

remembering back to how the boy fought. His movements were very

similar to various Chinese fighting styles such as kung fu. Then there

was that time in which he avoided being shot from behind. It was

almost as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He then began

putting two and two together and decided to try an experiment.

"So how Cologne do now? Is goodly?" Ryo winced a bit as he

knew that his Mandarin was far from perfect.

She's doing fine, thank you." Ranma replied nonchalantly, then

stiffened a bit as realized that he had answered out of habit. He then

turned to face Ryo with eyebrows raised, though his pupils remained

the same size.

Ryo nodded as his suspicions were confirmed. "I thought as much. I

see that Elder Cologne wasn't exaggerating when she told me that

you were exceptionally skilled, Ranma Saotome. It's not very often

that one comes across a grandmaster of the Unseen Light Martial

Arts."

Ranma paused as he studied the man who had deduced his identity.

"Ryo Saeba, I presume?"

"That's me. The one and only City Hunter."

Falcon became very surprised to hear this. "Unseen Light Martial

Arts? What's going on Ryo?"

Ranma studied the detective for a minute as he probed his aura. "I...

'see' that Elder Cologne wasn't exaggerating about your detective

skills. So how did you know?"

Ryo shrugged. "It was pretty straight-forward, though at first, you

even had me fooled. My first clue was the way your nostrils flared

when you fought those guys and when you ordered for some tea. You

already knew that Falcon had Oolong and Earl Grey, didn't you?"

Ranma nodded. "Actually, he's also got three different varieties of

Green Tea, Jasmine, Orange Pekoe, and a couple of herbal mint

varieties, in that order, directly in front of me underneath the

counter."

Falcon became quite surprised. That was exactly what he had and in

that order.

Ryo smiled a bit. "I have heard that blind people often develop a

highly acute sense of smell, but you've just demonstrated that your

ability to sense odors is far greater than even a bloodhound or a

shark's nose. My next clue was that your pupils never seem to change

and they didn't constrict when I surprised you with my question. I

also noted that your ears twitched a little when those thugs tried to

bushwhack you from behind. That comment you made about guns

being so noisy makes sense. I observed that you used a form of

martial arts called Amazonian Wu Shu, which pretty much fits in

with your background of being part of the Nieuchiezu. Elder Cologne

had given me many details about your life when she hired me. From

there, it was a simple matter to make the connections, along with her

descriptions of you."

"I have to admit, you've got me there. So you know about the

Joketsuzoku?"

"Yes, well after Elder Cologne had hired me, I did some background

research. The fighting style is quite obscure and less than a couple

hundred individuals outside of the Chinese Amazons are even aware

of it. The techniques have a basis in acrobatics, and of amazing ki

manipulation, in which you had demonstrated when you took out

those four gunmen. However, even Amazonian Wu Shu pales to that

of the Unseen Light."

"You... know about that fighting style too?"

Ryo gave him a 'mmm-hmm,' as he replied. "I'm a detective,

remember? It's my job to find out about things. Yes, I had to really

dig deep for that one. It's so obscure that I had to look back over

some very old scrolls and rumors about a fighting style that was

designed especially for the blind. It was said to be able to boost the

senses of smell, taste, touch and hearing to near mystical levels and

even add additional senses as well. Cologne had mentioned that you

were clinically sightless, but had mastered an ancient discipline in

which you are now the sole heir and practitioner. After cross-

referencing very slim leads, I had come across a name... Koga

Shinuria. Sound familiar?"

Ranma nodded as he felt a pang of sorrow for his deceased teacher.

"He was my sensei."

Falcon was very surprised to hear this. "What? Wait a minute. Are

you saying that he's... blind, but he took out four armed men?"

"That's right. All he had was a staff." Ryo affirmed as he turned his

attention back to Ranma. "As I was saying, the Unseen Light is so

ancient and obscure, that just about no one was aware of its existence

or of the powers that it granted to its users. However, when I was told

by Cologne about it, though she didn't go into very much detail, I did

some more research and found out that the last known users of the

Unseen Light had died recently and with no apparent heirs."

"So what is this Unseen Light?" Falcon had become very interested in

hearing this, since he was partially blind himself.

Ranma sighed and answered. "It's a fighting style that was created

thousands of years ago by a group of blind Zen monks. In addition to

my enhanced natural senses, I also possess a couple of extra senses

that operate in ways that you couldn't possibly imagine."

"Like an enhanced martial artist's sixth sense and the legendary

seventh?"

Ranma was again surprised at Ryo Seaba's awareness of very little-

known facts. "You know? Now I'm really impressed. You're

deserving of your reputation."

Ryo shrugged again. "It made sense that you would have some kind

of early warning system since you dodged those bullets. There have

been reports of martial artists who have developed a form of

awareness, or sixth sense for impending danger. That is how they can

anticipate an opponent's attack or sense when they are being watched.

However, that wouldn't have explained how you could detect

inanimate objects or judge distances. You made your way toward this

counter, sat down at the stool without bumping into anything, and

picked up that cup of tea without probing around on the counter. I

assume that would have been the so-called seventh sense, right?"

"You're every bit the detective that Cologne said that you were. So do

you know what the seventh sense is?"

"Well, the few ancient texts that I did manage to get a hold of didn't

go into much detail and the most secretive of the Unseen Light

techniques were never written down. From what I observed of you, I

would hazard a guess that the seventh sense operates like a form of

passive radar or sonar. It's probably more finely tuned if you're able

to navigate so well around obstacles. When we walked here, you

acted as if you could see and easily avoided bumping into people,

signs, mailboxes and whatnot. When we came to that traffic light, it

was a sure bet that you couldn't see the lights change, but was

actually sensing the movement of the cars, right? Then I thought back

to when you showed me that guy I shot wasn't dead and even pointed

out to where my bullet had landed after hitting him."

*And here I thought Kasumi was observant.* "Very good Ryo Saeba.

I must say that is a very impressive piece of detective work." Ranma

then became nervous at the fact that he was able to deduce so much

about him.

The City Hunter noted his slight agitation and said, "Not to worry my

friend. I respect your right to privacy, and confidentiality is very

important to maintain when dealing with a client. Since Elder

Cologne had hired me on your behalf to find your mother, you are my

client and therefore, everything that we discuss will not leave this

caf . Isn't that right, Falcon?"

"Got it." The big man replied, though he was quite curious as to how

Ranma's senses worked. They would certainly come in handy in his

line of work. It would be like having an extra set of eyes in the back

of his head.

"I believe you both. Thank you." Ranma then changed the subject.

"Mr. Saeba, Elder Cologne had told me that you had found my real

mother and that her name is Nodoka Saotome."

"That's right and I have scheduled a meeting between you and her

tomorrow afternoon at Pepper's Place."

"Can't I see her now?"

Ryo sighed as he shook his head. "I'm afraid that she's... not quite

ready to see you after I had informed her of few certain things about

you..."

"Like the fact that I'm blind?"

"Yes, well though you can't see things like a normal person, from

what I saw, you're far from being helpless. And there are a few other

things about your life that made her... uncomfortable."

"Like the fact that my stupid father sold me off to feed his fat

stomach and was the cause of me losing my sight in the first place?

Or is it because of the facts that I no longer consider myself as a

Saotome and that I am a part of the Amazons now?"

Now it was Ryo's turn again to be impressed. This boy had a LOT of

good instincts and insight. With his skills and a little training, he'd

make an excellent detective himself. "Yes, well your mother needs

some time and I have yet to inform her of some those other details of

your father's crimes."

"Genma is NOT my father. I don't consider him as deserving the right

to be called that." Ranma said with a bit of a hard edge to his tone. "It

was only by a very cruel trick of fate that he married my birth mother

and that I was born under his name. I've been considering giving up

the Saotome name completely as I have only been using it out of

sentimental reasons. Maybe that would get Genma off my case about

that stupid pledge."

"Pledge?"

"It's a long story, and I really don't want to talk about it."

"All right then, I won't press for any details. In any case, the meeting

is scheduled for 6:00 pm."

"I'll be there." Ranma said as he got up to leave, then paused to

address Ryo again. "Mr. Saeba... what's she like. My... mother...?"

"Well, she seems like a nice person and she's very anxious to meet

with you again. I will admit that she has a few strange ideas." *Like

that Seppuku Pledge. * Ryo mentally added. "However, I think that it

would be best that you find out about her for yourself. I can't give

you very much more details since I've only maintained contact with

her over the phone and just met her today to schedule the meeting."

"I... see. Well, thank you for the tea and I'll be seeing you and... Mom

tomorrow then. Thank you again and goodbye for now." Ranma then

waved as he exited the caf .

Ryo nodded as he watched the Unseen Light fighter depart and began

wondering how Nodoka would react when she found out how very

capable her son had become. As far as the City Hunter was

concerned, Ranma was most certainly a man among men. More so

than his worthless father could ever hope to be.

6:00 pm, Pepper's Place...

Ranma was more than agitated as he and the others waited for the

arrival of the City Hunter and Nodoka Saotome to arrive. When the

wall clock chimed six o'clock, there was a knock on the front door.

Ranma stiffened as he sensed Shampoo getting up to answer the door

and then detected the familiar presence of Ryo Saeba and another

woman. The two walked up to where Ranma was at, just as the blind

fighter got up from his seat and faced them. Behind him in the

kitchen, Jasmine and the other Amazons watched and held their

breath.

Ryo took a deep breath and said, "Ranma Saotome, may I introduce

you to Nodoka Saotome... your mother."

Ranma could only say one word.

"Mom?"

Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: Exit, disclaimers, legal evasions, and all that mumbo jumbo... stage left.

* *: Thoughts

" ": Chinese language

Chapter 13

A Little Motherly Love?

Somewhere in China, a few days before Ranma met his mother, a fateful conversation was taking place between two individuals.

"What? Are you certain?" A shadowy figure said as he spoke to another who was clothed in a dark cloak.

"Yes. It seems that the accursed Unseen Light had not been completely snuffed out. One practitioner of that discipline still exists."

"I had thought that priest Shogo had perished and left no heirs!"

"It seemed that he had taught another in secret. Someone by the name of... Koga Shinuria. And though he too had later died, the power of the Unseen Light has a new user."

"Who is this disciple?"

"Our spies in Japan had heard of rumors of a blind boy who claims to be a master of the Unseen Light. His name is... Ranma Saotome."

"Then the mission of the Shadow's Eye is not yet complete. You know what to do... Shindo."

The other cloaked figure nodded as he removed his hood, revealing a hard-looking face with a cold expression in his eyes. The most eerie fact about his eyes was that they were as black as the sea during a moonlit night. There were no pupils nor irises, just a black void. Just like the inner void in his heart.

"The Unseen Light shall not shine so long as the Shadow's Eye casts its gaze upon the world."

Present time, in Japan...

"Ranma! Oh Ranma! My little boy has finally been brought back to me!" Nodoka cried out as she rushed toward her son and embraced him while letting loose a torrent of tears. She was releasing more than ten years of repressed sadness and loneliness as she tightened her hug on Ranma.

The blind boy wasn't really sure of what to do as his biological mother continued bawling her eyes out against his chest, soaking the front of his shirt. He then turned his head to the people who were standing near the door and gestured with a nod that he and Nodoka needed some time alone. However as Jasmine understood Ranma's silent message and began ushering the others out of the room, his eyes narrowed as he tapped his right ear with an index finger. This indicated that he wouldn't take kindly to any eavesdropping and would know if they tried to listen in on their conversation.

Once everyone was gone and the two were alone, Ranma gently pushed himself out of Nodoka's embrace and began holding her face in his hands. He began tracing his sensitive fingertips across her features as his mind started forming an image of her face. He could detect the telltale traits and resemblance between himself and his biological mother. There was also the fact that her aura was similar to his own, though it was nowhere near as focused as his was. There was no doubt about it. She was his real mother. Now the real questions remained. Would she accept her son as he was and... was she like Genma?

"It's... good finally... see you again... mother."

Nodoka nodded as she cleared her eyes of her tears and took a step back to gaze upon her son. He was exactly as Ryo Saeba had described him. Ranma was tall and very well-formed. He was quite handsome and appeared to be exactly as a man among men should be. She smiled back to the time that the City Hunter had urged her to destroy the contract that Ranma and Genma had signed. If the stories of Ranma being wanted by dozens of girls was true, then it seemed that the contract was no longer necessary.

"Ranma, my son... it good to have you home. I've missed you much!" She embraced Ranma again and felt as if she was going to cry once more. "You have grown so much since I last saw you. You are indeed a man among men."

"Huh?"

Nodoka waved it off. "Nothing. It is nothing that you should be concerned about. What is important is that you and I are together again and that we are a family again. I have been told that you are blind now and there is nothing that can be done about it."

Ranma winced a bit at his mother's reference to his disability, but nodded as she went on.

"It doesn't matter. We are together again and I understand that it is Genma that was responsible. Rest assured that I will deal with him." Her voice took on a slightly hard edge as she thought about what she was going to do with Genma when she caught up with him. "Now, I shall have your old room ready for you when you move back and..."

This caught Ranma off guard. "Move back? What room?"

"Why your old room of course. You haven't been home since you were five and you are going to live with me again aren't you and rejoin the...?"

Ranma stopped her by raising a hand and took a deep breath. "Mother... please. You must understand... this is very hard for me to tell you this, but... I'm not going with you."

"What?"

"I'm not going to rejoin the Saotome register. I have been thinking about it for a long time and I've just decided that the Saotome name has already given me enough grief. I've only been using the name out of sentimentality and because I wanted to meet with you. Added to the fact are the promises and engagements that stupid idiot made in my name."

"Ranma! I know that Genma is somewhat of a moron, but a boy should not speak of his father so disrespectfully!"

"Mother..." It sounded somewhat strange to Ranma to call Nodoka that, though it was appropriate. "There are other reasons why I do not want the Saotome name. Are you aware of the crimes that he committed over the last ten years, specifically concerning me?"

"Well, I have been informed by Mr. Saeba about the petty crimes and theft that Genma had committed and had you do during your training journey, but..."

"Did he tell you about the fact that if I take up the Saotome name, then I will have to uphold more than a dozen engagements and that I will have multiple fiancées?"

"Multiple fiancées? What are you talking about?" Nodoka asked.

Ranma took another deep breath as he gestured for her to sit at a nearby table. After his biological mother took a seat, the blind master of the Unseen Light began explaining.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT?!"

The roof of Pepper's Place suddenly exploded off its foundations and did a three hundred and sixty degree flip before landing back onto the building.

Inside, Nodoka was shaking with disbelief. "He engaged you to HOW many girls?!"

The vision-impaired martial artist shook his head sadly as he replied. "By my count, about fifteen... so far. He even had me promised to triplets."

Nodoka blanched as she heard this. It was one thing to have so many girls after him to prove one's manliness, but it was quite another to have sold off her only offspring like some piece of merchandise. Genma had completely dragged the Saotome name through the mud to fill his fat stomach.

Ranma paused for a long moment, then added, "If you don't believe me, I do have evidence of each time a girl came to claim me at the village. And Elder Cologne had informed me that Mr. Saeba is also aware of the multiple engagements. He wanted to wait a while before telling you, but I feel that you should be aware of EVERYTHING that moronic waste of a human being has done to screw up my LIFE!" Ranma's voice took on a very bitter edge as he thought about that stupid panda man.

Nodoka took a deep breath to regain her self-control and gave her son a disapproving glare. "Ranma! Though I do not approve of your father's past actions, he is STILL your father and the head of our household!" Unfortunately for the blind martial artist, though Nodoka was a kind, caring person at heart, she was also... a traditional Japanese housewife. And despite the fact that she totally disapproved of her husband's crimes, she still hoped that her son and husband could reconcile their differences and that they could be a family again. However, that dream seemed to be more and more unlikely.

"So what?" The teen retorted, making no effort to keep his disgust of his biological father to himself. "What exactly do I OWE to him for me to show respect?"

"RANMA! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU SHOWING SUCH LACK OF RESPECT FOR YOUR FATHER AND OUR FAMILY NAME!"

Ranma's temper began to boil as he responded. "AND WHAT KIND OF RESPECT SHOULD I SHOW TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEITHER EARNED IT NOR DESERVED IT?"

"DESPITE ALL HE HAS DONE, HE IS STILL YOUR FATHER!"

The disciple of Koga snorted. "SOME FATHER! THAT WAS JUST A CRUEL TRICK OF FATE! AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, HE STOPPED BEING MY FATHER THE MOMENT WHEN HE TOOK ME ON THAT TRAINING JOURNEY! AFTER THAT PIT OF CATS, I DON'T EVEN CONSIDER HIM AS A HUMAN BEING!"

"RANMA!"

Ranma trembled and clenched his fists as he tried to calm down. It was a losing battle as he stood up and turned his back to Nodoka. "To him, I was just a meal ticket! A piece of property to be bartered off to the highest bidder, then offer for sale again whenever his fat belly was empty! Not once, not twice, but Kami-Sama only knows how many times! You say that I'M showing disrespect to the family name? Well my 'father' had dragged the Saotome name through the mud, every time he broke a promise to those families and engaged me to all those girls!"

"Ranma..." Nodoka warned in a very stern voice, but the Unseen Light Fighter would not hear of it. It was a very rare occurrence for Ranma to lose his self-control, but this was one of those times in which he had to let his feelings out full blast.

"Do you know just how ASHAMED I was to be related to him? Of every time a girl with her father or mother came to the village and announced herself as my fiancée, because of some little deal that Genma made with her? Do you know what it's like to be considered as just property? To be sold off for a meal or money? And do you know how many times I wished for you to be there for me? To stop him from doing these things? Well do you?"

Nodoka became silent as she heard this. Ranma's anger and bitterness toward her was very disturbing. This was not how she wanted her first meeting with her son to be.

The Unseen Light fighter continued on. "And where WERE you? Where were you for the last TEN years? What about those two years after I became blind? Where were you when Genma abused me, beat me, and called me weak for becoming blind? It was his fault that I lost my sight in the first place!"

"Well, I..."

Ranma cut her off. "Not one word! Not one letter! Not even a single call! I didn't know if you were alive or dead! I only had the dream of finding you again that kept me going for the last decade!"

Nodoka stood up and took a step toward her son. "Ranma, please calm down. I received postcards and letters from your father constantly, telling me that the training was going well and that you were doing fine. I had no reason to doubt Genma as he was my husband after all. I only started to doubt those letters recently. That is why I hired Mr. Saeba to find you!"

"TEN YEARS... mother." Ranma gritted at the word. "It took you ten years before you decided to look for me! Every day, every night, I would think of you and would ask Elder Cologne and my Amazon mother Jasmine to help me find you! I hoped and hoped that you would be able to understand me and give me some answers to who I was. But... it seems that everything that I had wished for about you... was nothing more than an empty dream."

Nodoka didn't like the sound of this. "W-W-What are you talking about?"

Ranma's mouth became a firm line as he said without emotion. "I had thought that you might be different from Genma, but I can... see with my heart that you are not."

"What do you mean?"

"Despite all that I've told you, and all the evidence that Mr. Saeba had shown to you. You still expect me to obey that lying piece of trash out of a sense of duty that a son should toward his father. You think that the honor of the Saotome name can be restored that way? It's gone! It died when Genma took me on that blasted training trip!"

"Ranma, please understand that I only let Genma take you away because he promised to me that you would become a man among men and..." Nodoka's voice trailed off as she almost told him about the Seppuku Pledge.

However, Ranma's emotions were taking control of his mind at the moment. He snarled a bit as he snapped at her, letting his anger and frustration choose his words, words that he would later regret. "A MAN AMONG MEN?! IS THAT WHY YOU LET HIM TAKE ME AWAY?! SO THAT HE COULD TURN ME INTO SOMEONE LIKE HIM?! IS THAT IT?!"

"Yes, I mean no... I mean..." Ranma's sudden flash of intuition had caught Nodoka off-guard. Ten years ago, Nodoka had some very strange definitions of what a man among men was supposed to be and Genma was the role model of those ideals. Her definitions had changed after the City Hunter had informed her about Genma's crimes and what had happened to her son.

That was when Ranma's anger hit the boiling point. "SO THAT WAS IT?! YOU WANTED ME TO BE LIKE HIM?! TO BE A DIRTY, ROTTEN, LYING BASTARD WITH NO HONOR WHATSOEVER AND WHO WOULD SELL OUT HIS SON'S FUTURE FOR A FISH, A BOWL OF RICE AND TWO PICKLES?! DESPITE ALL THAT HE'S DONE TO ME AND ALL THE PEOPLE HE HAD HURT WITH HIS LIES AND THIEVING WAYS, YOU STILL EXPECT ME TO GO TO HIM AND OBEY HIS WISHES? TO CONTINUE LETTING HIM RUN AND RUIN MY LIFE?! IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF A MAN AMONG MEN?!"

"Ranma, please..." Nodoka felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. She couldn't believe that her newly-found son was becoming so hostile toward her.

That was when Ranma... lost it. "NEVER! IF TAKING BACK THE SAOTOME NAME MEANS THAT I HAVE TO BECOME LIKE GENMA, THEN I HEREBY RENOUNCE MY BIRTH FAMILY NAME, PERMANENTLY!"

"Ranma, please listen to me! Don't be so hasty! We can work this out!" Tears were now rolling down her cheeks as she reached out to tough her son.

The blind martial artist swatted her hand away. "NO! THERE IS NO RANMA SAOTOME! I AM RANMA OF THE JOKETSUZOKU! SON OF JASMINE!" Ranma shook as his fists clenched even tighter, making his knuckles turn white. Then, in a bare whisper that was filled with sorrow, he said to Nodoka, "Go. Leave... Nodoka Saotome." At this point, Ranma no longer thought of calling her 'mother' as appropriate.

"But... I'm your mother, Ranma. I..."

"I don't know you. I had hoped to find the mother of Ranma Saotome, but instead... all I found was the WIFE of Genma. If you are so determined to restore the honor of Saotome family name, then you may do so, but I will not have any part in it. It cannot be saved, nor is it worth the effort! Now... go!" Ranma felt himself close to shedding tears, and remembered how his father berated him for crying. However, he didn't consider himself as Genma's son and therefore, anything that Genma had said to him was to be disregarded.

Nodoka shook her head in total disbelief then let off a cry of anguish as she ran from the room with her face in her hands.

At then moment, Ranma felt his heart shatter like fragile crystal.

Ryo Saeba ran after Nodoka when she burst out of the room and sped past him and the Amazons. He had been trying to get close to those three Amazon beauties, Honey, Silk and Satin while they were waiting outside in the main lobby of the restaurant. He had been especially interested in that voluptuous, blonde healer, but when they started hearing shouting and then the door burst open, the City Hunter knew that something had gone seriously wrong.

"Mrs. Saotome! Wait!"

Nodoka however, did not hear him as she continued to cry and run toward the front door.

As the Amazons watched the detective chase after his client, Jasmine turned her gaze toward the room where Nodoka had just come out of and shook her head. Without a word, she got up and walked toward the open door. When she came to the room's entrance, she stopped when she heard sobbing coming from within. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. There she saw Nodoka's... HER son sitting on a chair and slumped over the table with his head buried in his arms.

"Ranma?" Jasmine said tentatively.

However, the blind teen was in no mood to answer as he continued to cry.

At Nodoka's home, some time later...

"He hates me!" Nodoka sobbed.

In the living room, Ryo Saeba took a deep breath before trying to console the distraught woman. "Mrs. Saotome... I'm... sorry that your first meeting with your son went badly, but... I did warn you that something like this might happen. There's still a chance though. I think I can arrange it for you to meet with Ranma again, after we give him some time. I'm sure that he didn't mean all those things."

"And then what?" Genma's wife said without looking at him. Her face was in her hands as she continued to weep. "You heard him. He doesn't want his family name back. He doesn't want anything to do with Genma... or me."

"And can you blame him?" A new voice asked.

Both Nodoka and the City Hunter looked to where the new voice came from and they saw Ranma's adopted mother standing at the front of the living room.

"Who are you?! How did you get in?!" Ranma's birth mother stood up angrily to glare at the stranger.

Jasmine glared back at Nodoka as she answered. "I came here at the request of Mr. Saeba. And as for who I am... I am Jasmine."

Nodoka's eyes widened as she realized that this woman was the one who had raised her son since the time he had lost his sight.

"Y-Y-You're...?"

"Ranma's mother."

"I'M HIS MOTHER!"

"That... is highly questionable from where I stand." Jasmine said in a level tone.

"Who are you to judge?"

"And why am I not suited to judge you as I see fit?" The healer asked coldly. "I am after all, the one who raised Ranma, when YOU abandoned him to the care of that idiot Genma, ten years ago."

"Why you...!"

"Mrs. Saotome, Ms. Jasmine, please! I called the two of you together so that you could work things out!" Ryo held up his hands and got between the two women as Nodoka rose from her seat to confront her rival for her son's affections. "I don't want either of you to..."

Jasmine held up a hand, then gave Nodoka an especially cold stare. "Do not worry, Mr. Saeba. I did not come here to battle. If I had, then she would have been DEAD by now."

"You dare to threaten me in my own house?!" Nodoka said incredulously.

"I am only stating a fact, as well as giving you a warning, if you are even thinking of attacking me." Jasmine retorted. "You hurt Ranma, and my son is very dear to me."

"YOUR SON?!"

"Yes. MY son. I raised him. I fed him. I disciplined him. I gave him a home. I helped teach him to overcome that disability that YOUR idiotic husband had caused, due to his total disregard for his child's safety and well being. Ranma has a good chance of making it in this world. As far as I'm concerned, he IS my son, even if I hadn't given birth to him myself."

"Why you...!"

"You may resent me, you may even hate me, but I think it is because I got to be a part of Ranma's life, while you GAVE him away to Genma to do with as he pleased."

"I didn't give him away! It was part of his training to be..."

"A man among men?" Jasmine finished. "Like that scum, you call a husband? If he were my husband, I would have EXECUTED him a long time ago. However, the fact remains that you did bring Ranma into this world, and for that I am thankful. We are his mothers. You raised him for the first five years, while I raised him for the last eight. The big question STILL remains... what do we do about this now?"

Nodoka clenched her fists and was considering pulling out her katana, despite her lack of skill with it. Luckily, the City Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, telling her with his eyes that any further hostilities would not help in this situation.

Ranma's birth mother reluctantly nodded as she took a deep breath and motioned for Jasmine to sit at the chair opposite to them.

On top of Pepper's Place, Ranma was playing on his flute as he thought back to his first meeting with his... mother.

Mother, heh! Now that was a joke. Ranma thought as his music took on a more saddened tone. I should have known better. She married Genma after all. He stopped his playing to think about what had happened. Then again, I shouldn't have let my emotions cloud my better judgment. Maybe I was a bit harsh on her. The blind martial artist continued to ponder as he resumed to play. He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost missed the presence of another person, as he began to approach him with a stealth that put the best ninjas to shame. When the figure came within twenty meters of Ranma, the Unseen Light practitioner stopped playing and perked up his head with all his extraordinary senses on alert. He was instantly in a defensive stance as he reached out with his seventh sense. His ears, nose, and sixth sense were primed as they searched for any sign of the intruder.

"Who's there?"

There was no answer, but Ranma began receiving the spiritual impressions of the stranger and a sensation of... darkness. It was a kind of icy coldness that made him tremble slightly, and his metaphysical perceptions felt as if they were being smothered. He sensed a malevolence that he had never encountered before and it was directed at him. Something wanted him... dead!

The Amazon healer and warrior moved with a speed that made the most graceful of jungle cats seem clumsy. There was a large explosion as the spot he had been on a moment ago suddenly blew up. Making a series of backflips to evade the flying debris, while placing his flute back in its hiding space, he then landed on another roof and reached out with his senses.

There! Making contact with his unknown adversary's aura, he cupped his hands, pulled them back and let loose with a ki blast.

"SPIRIT SEEKER!"

The blue-white bolt of ki went screaming toward its target like a homing missile and struck hard. However, Ranma was astonished when his senses told him that his projectile had no effect. The energy had winked out the moment it made contact with his opponent's aura. The darkness that he had sensed before had snuffed out his ki blast like a birthday candle. It was then that the stranger spoke.

"Oh come on now. Surely a master of the Unseen Light can do better than that."

To Ranma's ears, the voice had a chilling iciness to it and there was no doubt in his mind what his attacker wanted. Ranma sensed a kind of bloodlust in that presence. He wanted his blood and would stop at nothing to spill it.

The stranger smiled as he prepared to attack again. "So, you know why I am here. Your sixth and seventh senses are indeed very developed. Yes, I am here... to kill you."

Jasmine's adopted son had no time to wonder what his attacker was talking about or how he knew about his other senses. Ranma narrowly dodged another series of attacks, which caused more sections of roofing to be blown off.

What's going on? I should be able to use just my sixth and seventh senses detect his attacks in advance, but it's taking ALL my senses just to avoid them! Ranma had discovered that something about that stranger was dulling his extra perception abilities. He should have been able to detect the attacks with several seconds to spare, but he was now only barely evading by scant milliseconds. He was also relying on changes of air currents, vibrations and sound to discern which direction the attacks were coming from.

And why did my Spirit Seeker fail? It hit him dead on, but it didn't hurt him in the least!

Leaping on another roof, Shindo frowned as he tried to hit his opponent with another ki blast and missed. Hmmm, this one is very skilled and his sixth and seventh senses are still working, even though my Shadow Aura is dampening them. I may have to get closer in order to render them useless.

Shindo began moving in a crisscross pattern, closing the distance between them, while increasing the intensity of his dark aura. To a sighted person, Shindo didn't appear to have any aura, but to Ranma's senses, it was if he was enveloped in a spreading cloak of darkness, which was causing the images in Ranma's head to become blurry and indistinct.

As Shindo neared his prey, Ranma suddenly tripped over a loose tile and went down.

I tripped?! No way! How could I have misjudged where that loose tile was? Ranma quickly got to his feet as he heard the sound of someone else landing on the same roof he was on.

VREET!

Ranma had his staff out and ready as his enemy stood some twenty-five feet away.

"Surprised that your perceptions are now getting less defined?" Shindo taunted as he held up two sais. "Soon, you will not have the seventh sense to guide you anymore and your sixth will follow. Then again, your enhanced senses will be of no use to you, once you are dead."

"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"

"Hmmmm, very well. I shall tell you before you die. I am Shindo... of the Shadow's Eye."

As soon as Ranma heard the name 'Shadow's Eye,' his blood ran cold. He began remembering back to his training with his master Koga and the stories he had told of the only rival to the Unseen Light, the darker side which was known as the Shadow's Eye. The school of blind fighters whose sole purpose... was to kill all users of the Unseen Light.

"Ah, so you know of my discipline." Shindo said with a grin.

"Yes, Master Koga did tell me of it." Ranma growled as he readied himself, then stiffened, as the images in his head became even more indistinct, until finally... there was nothing but darkness.

"How does it feel?" Shindo asked with a hint of cruelty in his tone. "Your seventh sense is now gone, isn't it? Your sixth sense is probably working at only ten percent by now, and it too will fade shortly. It seems that my Shadow Aura has now snuffed out your Unseen Light. A pity, though I can still 'see' you!" He then struck forward with his sais, aiming the point of one at Ranma's heart.

Using the sound of the sudden rush of air as his guide, Ranma twisted out of the way. The point of the Shindo's weapon missed its target and grazed Ranma's shoulder. The blind Amazon fighter followed through with a roundhouse kick and managed to tag his opponent in the back, knocking him away. However, Ranma felt a slight burning sensation and knew that his enemy's weapons had been poison-tipped. It wasn't enough to kill him instantly, but he didn't finish this fight soon, he would not live past morning.

Shindo growled as he got back to his feet and held up his weapons for his final attack. "A very good move, but you are finished! By now, your sixth sense is all but gone and your remaining senses will NOT save you from my final attack." Shindo began focusing his Shadow Aura into his weapons as he prepared to strike.

Ranma knew in his gut that something was happening, but with his seventh sense gone and his sixth just faintly detecting the danger, he was at a disadvantage. He had to focus every ounce of will he had left into his senses and hoped that they would pull him through. It was then that Shindo launched his Shadow Thrust Attack.

The sais let loose with twin beams of dark energy that would pierce Ranma's heart like a rapiers. There was no sound, no rush of air currents or any scent for Ranma to detect. Without his sixth or seventh sense, Ranma seemed doomed.

However, dying was not on Ranma's agenda. He had endured through a lifetime of hardships and he wasn't about to give up now. Just as Shindo launched his attack, Ranma focused his mind on one thing, restarting his sixth sense. He concentrated as hard as he could and for one brief moment, he felt a slight buzzing in his head. It was enough as he swerved to the left, narrowly evading the attack as it blasted two small, deep holes in a wall behind him.

"WHAT?!" Shindo cried out as he missed.

That brief cry was all Ranma needed as he used his hearing to zero in on his enemy's position. He thrust out his staff and directed one end at him.

"Extend."

VREET!

WHOMP!

Shindo was pushed back a hundred feet as the staff slammed into his solar plexus. He hit another wall hard and made a deep impression in it as his opponent smiled. With Shindo's Shadow Aura now further away, Ranma's seventh and sixth had come back and he had a clear picture of his surroundings. Ranma began focusing his ki into the staff and launched his attack straight down its length. Unlike his pervious ki blast, this one would not be engulfed by the Shindo's aura as the staff provided a direct conduit to its target.

"SPIRIT THRUST!"

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!" The Shadow's Eye assassin was in agony as Ranma's energy flooded his own ki pathways. Several of those pathways were near bursting as Shindo desperately tried to wrench the pole free. He finally managed to break away, but his own senses were now frazzled. His perceptions were fuzzy and he was hearing a kind of rushing noise as his head throbbed in pain. He slumped down to his knees as he shook his head to clear it. It was then that he sensed the approach of others and decided that his chance to kill Ranma was gone... for now. However, this was not the end.

He began leaping away from the scene, and though his own perceptions were unbalanced, he was still able to away as Ranma's Amazon friends came came to their comrade's aid.

"Ranma! Are you all right?" Pepper asked as she, Lilac, Perfume, Shampoo and Cologne came to where he was now on his knees. They had come onto the roof of the restaurant when they heard the commotion, but by then, Ranma and Shindo were already hopping rooftops and had ended up nearly ten blocks away.

Ranma was currently pressing some pressure points on his body to slow the spread of the poison, while making some of his medicinal supplies appear. However, the ordeal had left him both physically and mentally exhausted. After finishing up with the last of the pressure points, he collapsed forward.

Much later...

"I cannot understand how this Shindo person had come so close to killing you." Cologne remarked after Ranma had told her and the others what had happened. Currently, Jasmine was still at the Saotome residence and did not know about her son's near-death experience.

"Yes. I thought that your seventh and sixth sense made it impossible for someone to get within fifty feet of you, without you knowing." Pepper said.

"It is difficult... but not impossible." Ranma said slowly as he lay in a bed with his shoulder bandaged up. He brought up his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He was silent for a very long while.

"Then how did this person do it?" Cologne asked.

Ranma continued to be silent for a few minutes more before finally answering. "It's because... he's been trained in a martial art that is the only rival to the Unseen Light."

"What? There is another martial art for the blind?" Cologne became very interested in this information. The other Amazons also became attentive as Ranma began explaining to them what his master Koga had told him.

"Once upon a time... fifteen hundred years ago to be precise... the Unseen Light was born... and with it, came its darker side, the Shadow's Eye."

In a hotel room, we find Shindo sitting cross-legged on the floor and seemingly deep in mediation. However, his inner being was in turmoil as he strove to right his disrupted ki pathways. Ranma had very nearly caused his death with the Spirit Thrust technique. The Shadow's Eye fighter had gravely underestimated his opponent. It was now clear to him that the adopted Amazon had a greater mastery over the Unseen Light than Koga or Shogo.

Just as he was focusing his concentration on the last of his unstable ki lines, he suddenly sensed the essence of another. Though they were thousands of miles apart, Shindo and his master could easily communicate with each other through the Void.

*You have failed, Shindo. * Shindo's master scolded.

*I... apologize, Master. I did not expect Koga's disciple to be that gifted. * Shindo replied.

*What would you have expected? Koga had been a formidable adversary. It would be logical that his student would be as powerful, if not more so. *

* I will not fail again, Master. * Shindo assured.

*You know the penalty if you do not succeed. The Void may give us strength, but it can just as easily take that strength away. Failure to carry out its will entitles to a fate far worse than death. *

Pepper's Place...

"The Void?" Cologne asked.

Ranma shrugged as he tried to explain. "Well... that's what it's been called and it is the source of power for all users of the Shadow's Eye."  
"What exactly is this... Void?" Shampoo asked.

"Well... the Void is to the Shadow's Eye as the Unseen Light is to me."

"You're not making any sense, Ranma." Pepper remarked.

"I suppose it is kind of confusing at first. I guess I should start at the beginning. Somewhere around 500 AD, a group of Zen monks was making a pilgrimage through China. They encountered a band of marauders and nearly all of the monks were slaughtered, except for eight members, who managed to escape. However, they did not get away totally unscathed."

"I have a feeling that I know what happened." Cologne said.

Ranma nodded. "You guess right. Four of them had been permanently blinded and had to rely on the others for guidance. All of them been seriously wounded and would have perished, had they not stumbled on a place of great good... and evil. It was an ancient shrine that was hidden deep within the forests near what is now Beijing."

"Shrine?" Cologne inquired. "And what exactly did they find in this place?"  
"They found... both their salvation and their downfall." Ranma replied as he continued to tell the Amazons of his school's origins.

Outside Tokyo's limits...

A large predatory cat silently padded its way through the forests near the city. It had just recently escaped from a band of poachers who had captured it in China several weeks ago. They had intended to sell it to the zoo, but the tiger had managed to break free of its cage and fled into the wilderness near the coastlines. Now it was steadily making its way toward the city of Tokyo.

However, this was no ordinary Bengal tiger. What set this cat apart from its brethren was that its senses operated on much higher levels than what was considered normal. Not only were its senses of hearing, smell, and taste more acute, but it could also detect faint emanations of ki. The tiger had detected a familiar set of auras, which had arrived at the same port several weeks prior to its own unintentional trip across the sea. It had also picked up some recognizable scents as well.

Shinyu twitched the ears and sniffed about for Ranma's trail. (1)


End file.
